Humiliation
by ArizonaSivy
Summary: Imagine if Simba didn't kill Scar... Clichè idea for a story? Wait till you see the twisted development! It's mostly 'Simbas Pride' gone bad. Rated T for cursing, violance and other things...
1. The Downfall

**AN: Ta-dah, I'm back. I decided to keep polishing my writing skills, this time working on another 'turn the canon inside out' type o' story, but using solely original characters (mostly the ones from 'Simbas Pride', plus Scar).**

**I will spare you the burden of reading thousands of words before finally finding out what in the name of the Great Kings is going on. So we have a sort of _'what if' _situation- we imagine what would change in TLK if Simba did not kill Scar when he returned to Pride Rock. I know that there's quite a bit of fanfics like these, but I'm still willing to give it a try. Who knows, maybe you'll enjoy what my nefarious mind produces along with the story? So please rewind your tapes and imagine that TLK2:SP never happened...**

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Chapter 1 – The Downfall

Humiliation...

Among a few other things he really, _really _hated, that was probably the worst one. That revolting, repulsive feeling, so _familiar_, so disgustingly vivid in his distant, recent and thoroughly unbearably _memories_... He thought he'd gotten rid of them. He thought that his problem was solved. He could not believe just how shamefully _wrong_ he was.

Nothing had been solved. Nothing was fine. The old scars suddenly reopened as if they had never even _started_ to heal, causing more and more pain with even the smallest thought. And this time, the source of his own humiliation wasn't only someone else- some other annoying obstacle blocking his way. No. This time it was also _himself_.

His fury blinded him. The images in his head were angrily flashing over and over again like a thunderstorm.

_Simba! Simba please, have mercy, I beg you..._

He couldn't throw the sight of his own puny self cringling in front of Simba out of his mind. Oh, what a shameful moment for a king! A _former_ king, to be precise. Good thing no-one saw it, but still the mere thought of his cursed cowardness made Scar frown with disgust. The hellish flash in his nephew's eyes that reflected the flames around them was frightful, true... but was it really a good enough cause to flee with a hunched tale? Of course, the lionesses were also a threat... But weren't they busy kicking the hyenas' arses at that time?

_Oh, I should have beaten the living daylight out of him when I still had the chance..._

Scar was consumed by the feeling of failure and self-disappointment. Now it was clear to him that the return of his brother's red-head uglier miniature required firm _actions_, and not only desperation in trying to talk himself out of an uncomfortable situation. Or maybe why he became afraid was because Simba wasn't the annoying cub he used to remember, instead seemingly appearing like a vision of _Mufasa_ himself...?

_RAH! Enough of this nonsense! I did try to protect myself, after all. I did try to fight him..._

That was the only thing that could console him, at least a little bit. In the end, he wasn't as cowardly as the hyenas- he didn't run away. He stood up to his much younger opponent, and even gained advantage over him for a few moments. Trying to make his haunting feeling of humiliation go away, the lion meditated over the sight of his clawed paws hitting Simba's body. He didn't leave him without scars, that was a sure thing... Come to think of it, his nephew was quite a lousy fighter. Even though stress made the whole duel seem very foggy and distant now, Scar remembered that there was at least one moment in which he was practically close to ripping his opponent's throat. A shame it never happened...

_Ow! Damn, my back... I can barely walk..._

Yes, it was a real shame. The visions of close victory were significantly less vivid and tangible than the physical burden of his actual defeat. Scar could consider himself lucky to be alive at all- the moment Simba threw him over the edge of Pride Rock, he almost felt that his little flight would end up as a one-way trip to the afterlife. He wasn't sure if he preferred the way things really happened... Scar had suffered from backaches for as long as he could remember, but that was nothing in comparison to his present state. He didn't even want to trouble himself with wondering how bad it really was, at least for now. He just tried to cope with the pain and keep on walking, even if he was leaving a bloody trail behind him. He felt bruises all over, but perhaps was lucky enough not to have any broken limbs despite maybe a rib or two... Not everything was fully in order _inside_, however. Again, he just preferred not to occupy his mind with it for now...

He was heading towards the hunting grounds far into the savanna- probably the only place he could go right now. To be honest, he wasn't fully sure if he was going in the proper way- he simply strayed among the dried up grasses in the direction _close_ to the hunting grounds, having Pride Rock a long way behind his back. His severe injury and pretty unstable state of spirit caused him to depend more on his instincts than his senses.

_They're all dead, anyway..._

He was repeating that over and over again. He knew he was forsaken in the eyes of his former pridemembers, so he enjoyed the thought that without him they were doomed for annihilation.

But wait a minute. _Were_ they doomed for annihilation?

Oh, but of course they were. The drought was really severe, Sarabi had just informed him that the herds had left for good. The Pridelands were dry and deserted...

_Err_, were they?

Scar snapped out of his trance for a second, feeling the waves of rain flowing down his sides, soaking his fur.

No, they were not.

But wait, his hyena army still outnumbered the lionesses by a lot and was ready to tear them apart, right?

_Err_, no. The hyenas ran away. _Bloody perfect..._

But there was a fire at Pride Rock, wasn't it? Maybe the flames engulfed Simba along with his whole cursed bunch of traitorous females?

No no. It was raining. Once again, he was wrong.

They're all dead, anyway. They're all dead, anyway. They're all... Damn it Mufasa! Were you the one who was preventing the rain from falling for so long on purpose?

He cried out in a vicious, crazed roar, pointing his eyes straight towards the thick, dark ink of clouds in the sky. Then he collapsed to the ground, panting with exhaustion.

As he stared at the navy blue ocean above his head, trying to catch his breath, there was nothing more he could see besides the tall walls of dry grass surrounding him, dancing to and thro to the rhythm of the blowing wind.

_Where are you?_

His whisper couldn't have been heard by anyone. There was only him, the sky and the waves of grass. And the strange shapes appearing among the bush, summoned by his furious screams. Dark, unrecognizable shapes…

It was over. They came to take him away. To end his humiliation.

_Scar..._

They called his name and their voice seemed so distant, almost as if a court of judges was preparing to accuse him from above. To sentence him.

_Scar! What are you doing here? Are you all right?_

The voice was familiar. Odd. Was he dead already? Was he surrounded by his long-deceased ancestors, who demanded him to confess to every sin he'd ever committed? Scar strained his eyes. The tall, gruesome spot in front of him started to regain it's shape. It now resembled someone he'd known pretty well not very long ago...

_Zira._

The name that came out of his mouth matched the image appearing in front of his face. The image of a lioness whose character did not correspond with her present expression, as she was looking deeply and truly concerned. Her look made mixed thoughts appear in Scar's heart. To some extent, he was happy to finally find those he was looking for. On the other hand, he'd been expecting them _much_ earlier. When he needed them more than ever.

_Where were you?_

His words made Zira's face adopt the sense of surprise. She tried to repeat her earlier question, oblivious to the crucial facts that had just taken place. But that only made Scar more angry.

_Where, I'm asking? Where were you, you useless females? Are you blind not to see the smoke at Pride Rock? Are you deaf not to hear the sounds of battle?_

He wanted to scream, but his weakened body would not let him. Whispers of shock came from all around at once.

_What? We were occupied with the hunt! We didn't know that anything was going on!_

As those and similar justifications were surrounding him, Zira just kept silent. She knew her mate. She knew there was nothing anyone could say. Not right now- first Scar had to cool down a bit from his overwhelming rage. Zira was conscious that he had something to tell them that would undoubtedly ruin her balance as well, and the time they'd spent together was enough for her to know that in moments such as these they both simply needed some time of silence.

-"Where are your cubs?" – Scar asked her, desperately trying to cover up the humiliated note in his voice with anger.

-"Hiding in the shrub" – she answered shortly and bluntly.

-"Go pick them up. We're leaving."

All of Zira's pridesisters, apart from only herself, immediately started complaining hearing their king's announcement. But the leader of the hunting pack was smarter than that, knowing that it's better not to add fuel to the fire. Her resentful stance was the right thing to do, as she could experience a moment later.

-"I don't understand. Why do we have to go, sire?" – one of the younger lionesses approached Scar, addressing him with a whining tone in her voice. – "We were just celebrating the first rain in months! The drought finally came to an end, and now you say we won't even have the chance to..."

The chance she didn't have was the chance to finish the sentence. Even though Scar was still exhausted, he slapped the lioness on the face, his irritation filling him with extra strength. Everyone became dead silent.

-"We're leaving" – he concluded.

-"Where to?" – Zira asked quickly, not adding any emotion to her question at all. Scar pierced her with his venomous green gaze for a moment, afterwards snorting and making a deeply distasteful face.

-"The Outlands."

He spat the word out of his mouth as if they were the most disgusting thing that existed. Now also his loyal lionesses knew the real meaning of the word 'humiliation'.

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**AN: So how do you like the beginning? I'm probably going to publish every 3 days, or at least I'll try. But don't worry- I won't keep you waiting for the story to develop.**


	2. Planning the Future

Chapter 2 – Planning the Future

Scar was sick. He'd been injured and weak since his defeat at Pride Rock, and his present home, the Outlands, did not provide the proper environment for him to heal. The whole situation put his nerves to such a test that some of the lionesses loyal to him even started to hint that maybe his weaknesses included not only bodily terms... No one was really surprised by it though, as the lack of food and water, to which they all had to get used living in the Outlands, really got on everyone's nerves.

The dethroned king revealed to his subjects what had happened on the next day after their exile. Of course, in his own version of the events, some elements were missing, while others were a little bit 'different'. Scar told the lionesses that Simba, his nephew, who'd until recently been thought to be long dead, created a plot along with his mother Sarabi's hunting party. With their help, Simba attacked him and his hyenas. But the army of carrion eaters, even though quite large in terms of numbers, was too cowardly and far too stupid to stand a chance against half a pride of lions. All in all, abandoned by his outer guard, Scar ended up barely surviving, pursued by more than a dozen of former pridemembers lead by his crazed nephew who breathed with the lust for the overthrown king's blood. Picturing Simba as a vicious invader came quite easy, as only few of his lionesses were old enough to remember that he had ever even existed.

After a few months, the Outlanders got pretty much used to their new home, as uncomfortable as it was. Having to feed on rodents and the corpses of animals that died of dehydration was really a test of their endurance. The constant search for water strained their patience, making them stern and ruthless, similar in character to their ruling pair- Scar, the wounded king without a kingdom, and Zira, his power-hungry and easily infuriating mate. Her underling pridesisters could clearly see that Zira wasn't very happy about shifting her position of queen to that of a full-time nurse, stuck with having to provide Scar with food he couldn't possibly obtain on his own. But as humiliated as she was, she stayed loyal to him. The king had a sort of knowledge about Zira's delicate psyche, and he was good at soothing her nerves with visions of vengeance and recapturing the Pridelands. As long as she believed him, she kept her balance and control.

Of course, there were still things Scar had to solve using his crafty intellect and political experience. The Outlanders were a smaller pride than the one who dwelled around Pride Rock. No one thought about that at first, but when mating season began, some of the females came to Scar with problematic yet very serious demands. They said that in order to defeat the Pridelanders someday, they needed new blood. Cubs, that is. And with Scar being the only adult male around, it was perfectly clear that they wanted _him _to be the father- an eventuality they normally wouldn't even think of, but in those circumstances, they considered it a necessity.

Even though he didn't show it, Scar never felt more awkward in his life. Until then he was always more interested in ruling than in reproduction, but after considering the whole situation, he had no other choice but to agree that the females were actually right. Unfortunately, as humiliating as it was, the lion was simply unable to carry out what was expected of him. Scar was still far too weak- his injuries rendered him barely capable of walking, not speaking any harder physical activity...

As he was effortlessly trying to explain that to his lionesses, slowly becoming irritated with their stubbornness in demanding the impossible, suddenly Zira appeared on the stage. Having overheard what everyone was talking about, she did not enjoy any of it. Scar had to be really, _really _convincing in order to prevent a bloody inner conflict. Zira considered the demands of her pridesisters, of whom most were younger than her, as a personal attack on her specific position as the one and only mate of king Scar. After she calmed down enough to think reasonably, she gave her friends a proposition. It concerned her two young sons, Nuka and Kovu. Zira had them back at the Pridelands before Scar even let her become his mate. The king had no idea who the father was, and he didn't give any interest to that whatsoever. The fact was that he saw potential in the younger one of the brothers, considering it a good idea to choose Kovu to be his successor. So now Zira, wanting to keep the whole power over the pride in the family, decided that her younger cubless pridesisters had no other choice but to wait for her sons to become adults. And she strongly insisted on them to listen, instead of attempting to seduce her sick mate.

The perspective of having cubs with Nuka wasn't very satisfying for the lionesses, but Zira had her 'special' ways to convince them to follow her will. They only hoped that they would live long enough to see what becomes of the little Kovu- the king's chosen heir.

As for the royal pair, in order to soothe his mate's suspicions, Scar had to make a solemn pledge that he didn't even think of submitting to the lionesses' proposal. And that if he would ever be able to father a cub, the only one to be his mother would be Zira.

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**AN: So this is basically what happened after Zira's pride got exiled to the Outlands, only that here Scar is still with them. Is his presence going to make the situation better or worse? I'm not going to tell you that, but you can be sure that it's going to be surprisingly different.**


	3. The Daughter

**AN: As a start, I'd like to give my best to my most faithful readers. You know I'm talking about you! XD You people really keep me going. Thanks a bunch. So anyway...**

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**Chapter 3 – The Daughter**

The Outlands were scorched with the evening heat, as always. The lions that lived there, all happy to be fortunate enough to survive another day, were lazily waiting for the sun to finally set, giving them a chance to rest a little from the constant battle for survival. Among the termite mounds, the lionesses were trying to make the time left until the end of the day run faster by occupying themselves with various boring tasks- some were burrowing in the dry ground looking for at least a sign of moisture, others were wrestling with each other, keeping up their incessant training routine.

A few months after their exile, everyone's mood was specifically pleasant due to the information they'd obtained from the Pridelands. Scar sometimes sent a few of his subjects to spy in his old dominion, and not long ago they were lucky enough to find out that Simba, their arch-enemy, the impostor ruler from Pride Rock, had failed in fathering himself a proper successor. Namely, he and his mate Nala were now the parents of a female- a cub they'd named Kiara.

'Kiara' was the laughing stock of the Outlands in the later seasons. The name sounded a little like 'kwara' which meant 'partridge', and everyone said that it was because she would probably get eaten pretty soon, leaving Simba not only without a male heir, but also without any descendants at all.

Scar enjoyed that joke specifically, even though he was himself incapable of having any offspring of his own. Still, he was quite content with Zira's three cubs, his stepchildren, who he'd taken in and raised as if he was really their father. Well, content at least with the two youngest ones, who were twins born not long before their exile- with Kovu, his chosen heir, and Vitani, a promising little huntress, lively and baring strong resemblance to her mother, gaining much of Scar's sympathy even though she was a female.

But things were different with Zira's oldest son, Nuka. Nuka didn't take the harsh environment of his cubhood very well. He had been a weak and sickly cub, soon grown up to be a weak and sickly juvenile. Scar knew about that very well, picking the more promising Kovu as his successor on purpose, even though Nuka was Zira's oldest son. This is why the lion was always kind of put aside, alienated and neglected, what had a devastating effect on both his physical and mental state. The lionesses of the Outlands knew perfectly that soon Nuka was to be the only adult male in their pride capable of fathering cubs, and they weren't too happy about that. Nuka was conscious of this as well, and that made him become obsessively jealous of his younger brother.

-"Kovu Kovu Kovu..." – he walked around his pride's den, talking to himself, trying to get rid of the irritating image of a hazel furred lion cub from his head. – "Scar isn't even his father. He just took him in..."

Saying this, Nuka didn't consider himself as being the king's stepson as well. He only had in his mind the fact that he was older, what logically predestined _him _to be the king's heir. But he didn't want to waste his nerves on meditating about that injustice for the millionth time. Seeing his sister, Vitani, as she was sharpening her little fangs on some old root that stuck out from the dirt, he decided that maybe picking on her would cheer him up at least a little.

-"Oh hey, 'Tani! Where's that little termite Kovu, _the chosen one_?"

Addressing her in a sarcastic manner, he approached and used one of his claws to cut the root when she was pulling it forcefully, sending her straight to the ground and rolling in the sand. Nuka giggled with malice, content that at least his younger sister was lower in rank than him. Well, when they were alone, that is. Not earlier than that same morning Zira ordered him to keep an eye on Kovu as the lionesses were busy getting food- a humiliating assignment, as he was already old enough to try to start hunting on his own. But _no_, instead he had to waste his time catching mice and doing nothing with that stupid brat, while Vitani was left without anyone to watch over her.

-"Nuka! Where's Kovu? Did you leave him out there on his own again? Mother's gonna be mad, she told you to watch him!" – his sister rebuked him, giving him an angry gaze of her azure eyes, not very happy to be lying in the dirt. She didn't say that to get back on him- no, she just wanted to warn him of the consequences of disobedience that he already knew perfectly. But Nuka just snorted, feeling especially confident that day.

-"Hey, it's 'every lion for himself' out here! That little termite's gotta learn to be on his own. Oh who cares, I should have been the chosen one... I'm the oldest, I'm the strongest, I'm the smartest..." – as he spoke, he started to feel one of his attacks of itching incoming yet again to his highest frustration. The Outlanders' den was a big termite mound, and it's irritating little inhabitants had infested poor Nuka's fur. His constant scratching wasn't very healthy for him, both physically and mentally. – "_Ohh_, these termites!" – he howled, throwing himself to the ground at once, rolling all around viciously just to get rid of the pesky parasites, to the amusement of his sister. It was a while before he was able to continue his discourse. – "I could be a leader if she would just give me a chance!"

Vitani snorted, baring her sharp fangs.

-"_Pff_, yeah right. Why don't you tell that to her?"

Nuka puffed up proudly in front of her. He had considered asking that question to Zira a hundred times, but never actually found the right occasion to do so. Who knows, maybe it would be a good thing to try?

-"_Puh_, don't think I won't!" – he uttered firmly.

But his sister was still smiling with some strange sense of mystery.

-"Oh yeah? _Hi-hi_, here's your chance..."

The lion turned his head, and became pale. From behind Vitani's back, Zira was approaching, carrying Kovu in her mouth. It didn't seem as if she was in a good mood, too. Her older son knew that blaze in her reddish eyes, even though she wasn't looking at him. That kind of blaze meant trouble. Trouble for him.

-"Mother... Mother! Hi! I caught some field mice for you diner, I left them by the... by the... _erm_..." – his staged enthusiastic groveling didn't affect her in the least. Nuka gulped, seeing how she dropped Kovu in the dirt, afterwards turning towards him like a bolt of thunder.

-"You were supposed to be _watching_ him!" – she screamed from the top of her razor-sharp voice, attracting the attention of all of the bystanding lionesses. Nuka flinched, considering it not a smart move to leave his brother alone after all as he awaited to be slapped in front of his whole pride. But instead, he heard Kovu's scared squeal.

-"I-it's not his fault! I went off on my own!"

Oh what do you know, the little termite convinced- Nuka thought. Well, maybe at least for once he would save his butt and 'the chosen one' would get his long-required spank.

-"What were you doing?" – Zira turned towards the brown cub, pulling his tail as he was cringing on the ground. She was pissed off for some specific reason- everyone around could see that.

-"I-I'm sorry! Sh-she didn't seem so bad..."

_She_? Who was Kovu talking about? Nuka and Vitani shared a curious gaze.

-"I-I thought that we could be..."

-"_Friends_?" – Zira spat the word in front of her son's face as if it was the most horrible thing in the world. – "You thought you'd get to the _daughter_, and Simba would welcome you with open _arms_?"

_Simba_? _Daughter_? Nuka and Vitani looked at each other again. Uh-oh, what did that little termite get himself into? This was serious business. They didn't even want to think what's going to happen when Scar hears about that...

-"What an idea!" – their mother snorted in a mocking tone. But then something changed- a new thought shone in her eyes. – "What an _idea_!" – she repeated, this time smiling cunningly. Then, surprisingly, especially for Nuka, she started fawning at Kovu's back. And applying a lot of strength in doing so. – "You _brilliant _child! You have the same conniving mind that makes Scar so powerful... This could be the path for our glorious return to power!"

She said those last words with such joy and expressing so much confidence she placed in Kovu, that it made Nuka frown with disgust.

-"Oh, _yuckh..._" – he uttered, immediately founding out that he did that a little too loud. His mother noticed him at once. Zira knew that Nuka was jealous of her younger son, and she did not like that at all.

-"_RRRAH_!" – she roared, making him move away in panic, smiling awkwardly, feeling his haggard hair raising on his back. Nuka then observed as Zira seized Kovu in her mouth again and started walking towards the termite mound.

This time it ended up without corporal punishment- Nuka thought with relief. But the faces of the lionesses standing around him were still covered with ironic sneers.

-"_Puh_, 'chosen one'..." – he snorted, feeling the burden of humiliation. And then, not having anything better to do, he went away in order to eat the mice he'd caught for his mother earlier that day.

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**AN: Not much more than a repeated narration of the events from the film? That may be so for now, but remember that we still have to wait for _the dad _to express his thoughts…**


	4. A different Opinion

**Chapter 4 – A different Opinion**

The skin on Kovu's nape hurt him pretty badly. He was already too big for his mother to carry him in her teeth like that, but he preferred to wait for her to notice it herself. She put him on top of an old tree stamp that stood inside their termite-infested layer, which acted as a sort of safe and comfortable bed for him.

-"Rest now, my child. You must be exhausted..." – Zira said to him with all of her motherly tenderness that she would _sometimes _express if she tried real hard.

Actually, Kovu wasn't sleepy at all. Indeed, it had been a day full of adventure, but there was still something that he couldn't get out of his mind.

_Kiara..._ The Pridelander girl... Sure, she was weird and strange with all her senseless games and stuff, but still she seemed so friendly that it made Kovu wonder if what everyone from his pride was saying about the Pridelanders was actually true. Was he ever going to see Kiara again? He knew he wanted to. But for now, he had to submit to his mother, who was attempting to put him to sleep.

_Sleep my little Kovu, my precious little thing. One day when you're big and strong... You will be a king!_

A clever rhyme that she would sometimes sing to him, but still this time she did it far too loud to make him even close to sleepy.

-"But I don't want to..." – he whispered. The interruption to her lullaby was only a cause for Zira to become irritated and cease her singing.

-"_Hush_! Hush, my child." – she uttered, giving him a last rebuking gaze.

Kovu still managed to say 'goodnight' to her before she disappeared from his sight, mumbling something to herself. Something that sounded like 'I need to discuss this with your father'.

The cub shook internally. Zira wanted to tell everything he did to Scar? But that meant that the king would get mad and definitely punish him! Kovu couldn't remember if he was ever punished by his stepfather for anything, but he saw Scar punishing others so many times that he was himself very scared of it. Especially today. Not wanting to wait until dawn, Kovu turned his head towards where Scar's layer was, and strained his ears. He couldn't see anything in the evening darkness, but still from the echoing noises he was able to make out the frames of what his parents were conversating about.

Kovu knew the story of his pride pretty well, at least in the way Zira and Scar explained it to him. He knew that when he was still just a little cub they'd all been exiled from the beautiful and fertile Pridelands by a tyrant called Simba, who used a diversion in order to dethrone his stepfather, afterwards sending everyone who was still loyal to Scar to the deserted Outlands. Now everyone thought of revenge, and since Kovu was the king's successor, the lions had high hopes that he would be the one to lead them all back to their rightful home. Today Kovu met a golden furred female lion cub, a little younger than himself, over by the river that separated the Outlands form the Pridelands. That cub, Kiara, was Simba's daughter. She might have been friendly, but still it meant _serious_ trouble.

Kovu knew that immediately when he heard Scar's angry growls echoing among the darkness. It was a real shame for him to find out that his stepfather did not like Kiara. But still there was something that brought hope- somehow, Zira thought that letting her son develop a relationship with the Pridelander princess might help them in returning to their former home someday. That meant that Kovu still had a small chance to become Kiara's friend.

The cub laid motionlessly in his wooden bed, listening impatiently to his mother's long monologue, which was probably a relation she was making to her mate concerning the plan she'd constructed. The king, after carefully considering every aspect of his mate's 'brilliant idea', obviously decided to... well, reject it. He did it by roaring so forcefully and so suddenly, that the very foundations of the termite mound shook and every one of it's winged inhabitants took off with shock in order to escape. Of course, Zira answered with another roar, only a little more silent, and then quickly emerged from the shade baring an offended expression, heading towards the exit to the den only to disappear moments later.

A deep silence fell as Kovu cringed inside his tree stamp, trembling with fear. He soon heard slow, heavy footsteps close by, but he kept his head down, not wanting to see what was going to happen. He felt the smell of his stepfather's fur, he heard his irregular, stertrous breath. Kovu had seen his parents arguing before, sometimes even as brutally as tonight, and even though everything usually went back to normal after a few days, situations like these still scared the life out of him.

A warm, heavy paw, armed with razor sharp claws, started combing the fur on his back. The feeling was intimidating yet delicate, and was in no way a form of punishment. Scar simply wanted to tell his heir something important.

-"My son... Did that moody mother of yours disturb you yet again? Oh fear not, Kovu. You know her. Tomorrow she'll bring us some meat for dinner as usual and remember nothing about what happened."

The cub lifted his frightened sight, observing two blazing green eyes shining in front of him among a waterfall of raven black hair. The king was gazing at him with pride, but also with firm expectation that he would do exactly what he wanted. Scar chose Kovu to become his successor, a younger replica of his own self, and also his angel of vengeance. And in order for that to happen, he needed to be taught how to be strong. No weaknesses could ever be tolerated.

-"I've heard about your little encounter by the river today. Good thing Zira showed up when she did, _hm_?" – Scar whispered gently in his ear, even though Kovu still didn't understand everything his stepfather was telling him. – "I bet you're thinking that the little Pridelander you've met wasn't that bad, am I right? But you have to understand one thing, son- everyone who has anything to do with Simba, _especially_ members of his pride, are a great danger to us! You do remember when I told you how they made us leave without reason, don't you? That's right, Kovu- Simba hates us and will do everything to destroy us all. If your mother hadn't found you today, he would have undoubtedly killed you! This is exactly why we suffer hunger and thirst here in the Outlands while they spend their time feasting on the countless herds of all kinds of prey, while they bathe in their abundant waterholes! And yes, son- your Kiara is there among them! Every Pridelander is selfish, arrogant and unjust. They all hate us, Kovu. It's in their blood. Believe me when I say this."

The cub lifted his own sad, green eyes towards Scar's serious, haughty countenance.

-"They _really_ do?" – he asked silently.

-"Yes, child. Would I ever lie to my own heir? I want you to promise something to me. I want you to give me your word that you will never, ever meet with any other Pridelander. I have to know that to be absolutely sure you're safe. Understand?"

The tone of his voice left Kovu no chance to object.

-"Yes, sir..."

Hearing such an answer, Scar grinned, a low chuckle flowing from inside his throat.

-"_Hm hm... _My dear boy! I am not a 'sir'. What makes you think that I would ever want you to address me in such a way?"

-"You are right, father. Excuse me."

The king laughed yet again, nuzzling his head into Kovu's side.

-"You are excused... my heir" – he whispered.

And then, just like his mate before him, Scar started to sing. He wasn't doing very well, more reciting the words like a poem than actually singing, but still his voice was so soothingly joyful and silent that a moment later Kovu's eyes began to close.

_I know, for a cub it's not easy, I know how you long for a friend. But some thing are truly more pleasing. You'll see that I'm right, in the end._

_A cub has no interest in ruling. A crown seems so heavy and cold. But trust me, my goal's not in fooling. I love being king, though I'm old!_

_So prepare for the chance of a lifetime, be prepared for a world at you feet! With our foes defeated, our famine retreated, fresh meat for the taking._

_And I'm not mistaking- when Simba stops breathing then you'll start believing that your father's promise was true! So just trust me and don't you be scared._

_Be prepared!_

Before the end of the song, Kovu was already fast asleep. The memory of princess Kiara faded away in his mind like smoke on the wind.

* * *

**AN: Originally, 'Simbas Pride' was a nice love story, kind of like a kids' version of 'Romeo and Juliet'. But I decided to let go of pretty storytelling. Sure, Zira's bad and has a really nasty influence on her kids. But Scar's even more than that- apart from some fanfics in which he converts, he's the most devilish cat in the history of cinema, with a dastardly mind and a heart as bitter as wormwood, capable of even contaminating others with that bitterness. So will his evil tear the Pridelands apart or will good appearing in the most unlikely places triumph once again?**

**Stay tuned, people!**


	5. Paintings on the Bark

**AN: I remind you that reviewing the stories you read is a free, quick way to make another person happy. And since society should be built on making other people happy- review, please XD**

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**Chapter 5 – Paintings on the Bark**

Rafiki was very busy lately. Way up among the branches of his baobab, the old mandrill was getting close to finishing painting the new members of the royal family. After adding just a little more paint and spreading it on the bark in order to stress the shape of a brownish lion cub, he wiped his hands and made a step back in order to admire his completed masterpiece. The family tree was really impressive. Rafiki sighed with joy, thinking about how it has grown since the distant times of king Mufasa. Now it had many branches, covering a larger part of the baobab's trunk. Despite not everything in the past years had been bright and peaceful, the shaman was still quite happy that lately he could paint a few new portraits of lions.

-"_Ooh_, that's a fine picture" – he smiled to himself, crossing his arms. Then he noticed that there were still many coconut shells and other containers filled with paint standing all around. – "Well, _heh-heh_. I should better start cleaning up this muddle."

Rafiki took another moment to admire his work, and then he bent down, intending to start collecting his painting equipment. But the moment he moved, a powerful rush of wind blew so hard that he almost lost his balance. Entangled in his long white hair, at first he couldn't see that the wind knocked down every not anchored object that he had in his hideout. When finally the wind silenced, the mandrill saw that many of his belongings have been blown away and knocked down to the ground. Almost as if someone did it intentionally.

-"_Aww_! Mufasa, are you playing games wit me? Look whatchou've done, now everything's a mess!"

Rafiki kept complaining angrily, but as soon as he saw what happened to his family tree, he silenced completely. Sorrow filled his heart when he noticed that one of the coconut shells which he'd placed upon a tall branch has fallen, pouring most of the pictures with black paint. His carefully created depictions of both Simba and Scar's families were completely ruined and unrecognizable. Devastated by that sight, Rafiki raised his eyes towards the sky.

-"Oh Mufasa… did you do this? What does this mean? Are you trying to warn us about someting?" – the old shaman whispered with sadness.

* * *

The air inside the termite mound was hot and dry, as usual. As Kovu was slowly pacing onward, he set aloft a clouds of dust and little winged insects, visible in the sunbeams that were breaking through the ceiling at various points. The lion was on his way to Scar, carrying important news that the ruler of the Outlands had to know as soon as possible. After wading through another suffocating wave of dust and flying termites, he halted in front of one of the walls, under which a haggard, scrawny corpse of a lion laid in what seemed to be either the state of death or a deep coma. Scar was motionless, but his mere presence demanded Kovu to act with proper respect. It was obvious to everyone who lived in the Outlands- even the termites would avoid the king as they were walking through their mound, being careful not to disturb his rest. Scar's precious stepson and chosen heir also knew perfectly that he had to act gently. Standing above the old lion, he lowered his head and hemmed silently into his ear.

-"_Ehm!_" – the sound echoed among the walls.

For a moment there was no response. And then Kovu heard the deep, lofty voice he knew so well.

-"I have heard you coming in. I'm not asleep, in fact I've been waiting for you".

Only after saying that did Scar move. First he whipped the ground with his tail, raising another cloud of dust. Then he lifted his head from the ground, revealing to the one he called his son an old, tired face, baring the scars of many seasons and many tragedies, but yet shining with strength from the light in his venomously green eyes.

-"You bring news for me, Kovu. I can clearly sense it." – he said with a voice far more lively than the looks of his body might indicate.

-"Yes, father. You are right." – the younger lion answered in a formal, passionless tone.

-"Well, out with it, boy! We don't have time for guessing games. Tell me what I want to hear!"

Kovu waited until the echo of his stepfather's voice silenced, intending to build up the tension. And then he smiled.

-"It's a male, father. I have a son. He was born right before sunrise."

Now Scar also bared his fangs, grinning with joy. Surprisingly with his weak health, he forcefully jumped up from the ground, standing erect and facing Kovu with all of the kingly pride he always wanted to possess.

-"_Finally!_" – he shouted, embracing his stepson. Then, with blissful passion, he started talking about how everything was going according to his plan, as he often used to do. – "This is an important step towards a glorious future! I can't wait to see my grandson and his sisters fighting in the front line, crushing our enemies and letting them taste bitter defeat! Oh, you really make my dreams come true before my eyes, Kovu! You are truly worthy to be my successor. Believe me, the day will come when we will reign over at Pride Rock once again."

Scar was at the highest level of enthusiasm. The young lion in front of him smiled also, but somehow, when the king finished his encouraging discourse, he noticed that he was still hiding something that prevented him from expressing full satisfaction.

-"_Hm_? And what is this?" – Scar took a closer look at his stepson, almost touching his face with his muzzle, arousing awkwardness inside him. – "You aren't as joyful as I would expect you to be after the birth of your first son, Kovu. I remember the expression on your face when your daughter was born, and the way you're acting now differs somehow from that hopeful state of spirit. Could you explain to me the cause of that?"

_Nothing can be hidden from him_ – Kovu said in his thoughts. Scar knew him as well as he knew himself and again, he was right. With a sigh, the young lion expressed his doubts.

-"_Eh_, don't get me wrong, father. It's not that I'm not happy that I have a son. It's just that I'm… concerned about him. Do you really think that it is necessary to train my cubs to become soldiers? I mean, what if they get killed during the war? I'm not thinking we shouldn't fight it, no. I'm positive that we must take back what belongs to us and finally leave these pathetic Outlands. But… isn't there any other way to defeat Simba? I've been wondering, you know. Remember when you were still king of the Pridelands? You used to have a whole army of hyenas for protection. You always said that they would carry out your every order. Can't we just team up with them again? It would definitely be safer, I mean… It's just a thought, but…"

Kovu silenced under the careful glare of his stepfather. A frown of uncertainty covered his face, but a moment later the old lion just burst out laughing.

-"_Hahaha! _Kovu, what an excellent father you are! Far better than the one I had." – Scar surrounded Kovu with his paw, holding him strongly. – "Of course you have the right to be concerned about your cubs. That is perfectly normal! Do you suppose that I myself do not care for the wellbeing of my grandchildren?" – their emerald eyes met in a communicative gaze. – "And that is _exactly_ why we must do everything in order to train those little killers as well as possible!" – his voice became full of that military passion he would express very often when he spoke about his plans. – "You see son, our goal is to defeat the unexpecting, weak Pridelanders without taking any casualties ourselves. And we _will_ achieve that, we just need to remain strong and confident in ourselves!" – Scar let Kovu go and sat down in front of him. – "Do you doubt that?" – he asked, gazing suspiciously.

-"No, I…"

-"And you have no reason indeed to have such doubts!" – the old lion interrupted his stepson, addressing him in a firm tone. – "When your cubs grow up, we will possess enough strength to smite Simba from the face of the earth! And the more young lions are born and trained within our pride, the easier our victory will be. I hope you understand that."

Scar observed Kovu intensively, until the latter lowered his head, nodding in submission.

-"And speaking of _hyenas_…" – the ruler continued, turning his head and adopting a sense of bitter distaste. – "Let me tell you something, son. When I was young, there was a tradition in the pride that whenever someone wanted to pass a piece of the old lore to his children, he would tell stories about the great kings from the past. I suppose it's a good time for one of those stories now.

Imagine- a long time ago, generations before we were born, there was a severe drought at the Pride Lands. All of the animals suffered from hunger and were threatened with extinction. The Lion King thought about a way to prevent the land from dying out, so he organized a contest among the animals in order to shorten their ranks, so there would still be enough food and water for anyone to survive. So one day all of the animals gathered at Pride Rock. The Lion King said that each species was to choose a member of their group who could tell the best jokes. If that someone told a story that would make everyone laugh, his fellow kinsmen were to be spared. But if there was anyone who would not laugh, indicating that the joke was indeed weak, that whole species was to be killed and eaten.

Having it's rules revealed, the contest began. The first contestant was a vulture. The joke he said was really good, and soon Pride Rock was filled with the sound of intense laughter. But a moment later the Lion King ordered everyone to quiet down, seeing that none of the present hyenas were laughing at all. Judging that it meant the vultures' loss, the ruler ordered all of the birds to be eaten.

The second contestant was a giraffe. The joke she told was even better than the vulture's- even the Lion King himself had tears in his eyes. But when he stopped laughing, he saw that yet again the hyenas were simply sitting on the ground, not amused by it in the least. And so the giraffes were eaten as well.

As the next contestant, there came a trembling tortoise. Frightened, he started telling his joke stuttering out of fear. He wasn't even in the middle of it, when suddenly all of the hyenas burst out in a unison chuckle, louder than any of the animals could produce. Totally startled, the Lion King ordered them to stop and to tell everyone why they were laughing. Only after a while did one of the females calm down enough to be able to answer.

Do you know what she said, Kovu?"

-"No, I have no idea." – answered the young lion, who has been listening to the story carefully.

-"She said- _we're laughing because we have just figured out what was so funny about the vulture's joke_."

To Scar's content, Kovu smiled delicately. Then he bared his teeth in a wide grin. And then both of the lions collapsed to the ground, almost laughing their heads off.

-"Ge… get it? _Hahaha! _They've only just figured it out!" – the old ruler could barely breathe.

-"_Haha! _Yeah, exactly!" – Kovu gasped, also laughing intensely. - "It's like that old riddle- how do you call a hyena with only half a brain?"

-"A _genius!_ _Haha, _that has to be the oldest joke in Africa! I see you're catching up! Even though I did have a whole army of hyenas at my side, I don't want to have _anything_ to do with those stinking beasts anymore. They're simply far too stupid!"

A few minutes later, they were on their paws again, sobered up and serious.

-"I suppose now you understand me, son."

-"Yes, father. You are right. We have to be strong. I will have my cubs trained well, just how you and mother taught me."

-"I'm pleased to hear that, Kovu. But you still have to know that our army still needs more soldiers. You do understand that our future success depends on your efforts."

-"I'll… try not to fail you, father."

* * *

**AN: Remember what Kovu says in 'Simbas Pride' about the darkness inside him? Scar is wormwood. He corrupts all he touches. Even as he makes his stepson laugh at his jokes, he slowly fills his heart with poison.**

**I bet your asking yourself- will the hazel-maned prince let himself become corrupted even though he'd recently become a father? I bet your wondering who's the mother of his cubs, too.**

**Stay tuned XD**


	6. Family Portrait

**AN: Thanking for your kind comments and the interest you have for this story, I've decided to add new chapters every second day. I hope I won't fail your expectations XD**

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**Chapter 6 – Family Portrait**

… _four, five… six… Uh no, wait. _

_The grey male with green eyes is Kwanza- that's one. Brown female with green eyes is Pili, that makes two. Grey female with brown eyes is Tatu, three. Tan female with blue eyes is Yanne… no, that's not right. The tan male with green eyes is Yanne! Oh those darn brats, can't they stay in one place at least for a minute?_

Nuka was trying very hard to count the cubs, but as they were all very lively in their pouncing, he just wasn't able. It seamed that not long ago the Outsiders were celebrating the first birth in their group since their exile from the Pridelands. And then, not very long after that, another one. And another. And so on until all ten cubs that were now wrestling each other in front of the frustrated Nuka, were born.

Ten cubs. _None _of them his own.

They were all his nephews and nieces- the sons and daughters of his brother Kovu, _the chosen one_. Nuka didn't even have a mate- not one of the lionesses of his pride would lay an eye on his sickly, skinny self. The only thing they would expect of their king's oldest stepson was babysiting their cubs whenever they were busy. It was Kovu who was their perfect, strong and influential mate. As soon as he became an adult, the lionesses simply started crawling around him, almost begging him to be the father of their cubs. And so Kovu became the mate of nearly every female in the Outlands, except maybe for his mother and sister. Scar and Zira were quite happy about that, seeing that not only were their subjects' motherly instincts finally satisfied, but also that their young grandchildren with only enough training would soon become an army of loyal warriors, ready to take back Pride Rock and provide Simba with a devastating defeat. In consequence. everyone was happy and full of high hopes.

Everyone except Nuka.

Nuka was chosen to be the one to watch over the cubs when their father and mothers were too busy to train with them. That meant that he had to do the hardest job in his whole pride, not getting anything for his effort except a lousy meal, greatly diminished by the needs of the young lions, even if it wasn't much before their birth as well.

Nuka used to be left behind everyone, but now he became the official pushover of the whole pride. No longer did he dream of taking over his younger brother's position, because that was impossible. Most of the time he was hungry, tired and afraid of being punished for everything that he might have done wrong. Pure humiliation.

_Okay, that's it!_ – he thought. _I gotta get them together, the lionesses'll be here soon._

Nuka lifted himself from the dirt, flicking the dry grass from his haggard fur. Then he gave his struggling band of nephews a threatening gaze.

-"Alright, Termite Squad! I wanna see a loose line formation, pronto! C'mon, ya maggots! Quit foolin' around and get into position! This could be done much faster!"

Yelling at them in a military manner surprisingly caught the attention of the hyperactive cubs. Even though Nuka was pretty serious with what he was saying, his nephews and nieces considered it to be a game. But that wasn't important. What mattered was that very soon Nuka was walking to and thro like a general inspecting his saluting troops, gazing at every one of his little soldiers closely.

-"Kwanza!" – he called, checking if the first cub had taken it's place.

-"Present!" – answered the grey-furred, green-eyed male lion, stretched out to attention.

-"Good. Pili!" – Nuka addressed the second one in line.

-"Present!" – a brownish little female exclaimed at once.

-"Tatu!"

-"Present!" – another one of his nieces grinned at Nuka, gazing at him with her big brown eyes. Then the lion inspected the rest of the squad.

-"Yanne! Tano! Sita! Saba! Wanane! Tisa!"

All were present- the sons and daughters of Kovu, Scar's heir, each and every one of them baring some resemblance to their father. Some had the same bright green eyes. Others had the same dark brown fur color. And so every one of these cubs reminded Nuka about something he hated most. But as soon as he heard the answer of the ninth cub, he noticed that there was no one left beside him.

-"Kumi! _Kumi!_ _Uhh_, where is that brat…" – he sighed.

The youngest of Kovu's offspring, his third son Kumi, was nowhere to be found. His siblings had a good laugh observing how their uncle began wallowing around, searching for him. But not long after, Nuka, still preoccupied with his desperate wading through the dried up bushes, heard his nephews and nieces giving away a sudden, unison shriek.

-"_Daddy_!" – they all cried with joy, while their protector, totally startled, halted and held his breath.

-"_Oh crap, now I'm in trouble…_" – Nuka thought, feeling his pressure rising dramatically. He took one more look around, but still not seeing little Kumi anywhere, he gulped and tuned to face whoever was approaching him. To his even greater terror, he saw not only Kovu, his brother, now happily greeting his children, fawning and nuzzling them with his huge lion self. Along with him came their parents- Zira and king Scar, their stepfather. Both of them were looking at the idyllic scene like a pair of proud grandparents, their fangs bared in wide grins. But the goodness of the whole situation was only an illusion. As soon as Kovu noticed that his youngest son was missing, the smile on his face disappeared.

-"Nuka, where's Kumi?" – he asked coldly. Along with him, also Zira and Scar pierced the frightened lion with their merciless gazes. Immediately, Nuka felt fear flooding his heart. It was obvious to him that if something happened to his nephew, he would be made responsible, and the punishment would be severe. Under the pressure of the demanding expressions of his pridemembers, the lion wasn't even able to mouth an answer. He felt his lips and paws shake…

But then, out of nowhere, a childish voice cried out, catching everyone's attention.

-"Over here, dad!" – a brownish cub screamed, shooting out from behind the dense grass. – "_Haha_, I surprised ya, didn't I?" – he laughed under Kovu's strong fatherly embrace.

-"You sure did, Kumi! You're just like your mom, you little rogue…"

So now Kovu could start his quality time with all of his cubs. Nuka breathed with relief, feeling a giant weight lifted from his back. Considering he'd had enough, he laid down on the ground to finally rest a bit after hours of babysitting. He took a look at his family- they were standing in a distance to him, not paying anymore attention to his presence. He'd done his job, so he wasn't useful until the cubs will need to be supervised again.

As he laid there observing them, it all seemed totally disgusting and pathetic to him. A scene as from a pretty picture- a pair of older lion mates giving a moment of break to their aging bones while observing their son playing with ten of his little children. Everybody might have been smiling and happy, sharing looks of content and joy, but it didn't matter. Nuka knew that it was all a lie. Scar and Zira had been training Kovu for as long as their exile to the Outlands in order for him to become a perfect warrior in the upcoming war they were preparing to recapture Pride Rock. They also encouraged him to have cubs with as many lionesses as possible, so that when their grandchildren would grow up, they would be the army required in order to win this war. So there was no real love between them, at least in Nuka's point of view. It was all snide pragmatism of his parents who longed for nothing but power and control. Because if there really was any love in them, could they possibly value one of their sons so much while neglecting and humiliating the other?

Nuka took a closer look at Scar. He remembered that he could never guess what his stepfather was hiding behind those scary emerald eyes of his. Whenever he laughed, it was almost impossible to estimate if he did that out of sincere happiness or was he really lying, smiling only in order to fool his interlocutor. There was really only one emotion that was always true with Scar- that was his anger.

Oh, how much Nuka feared his stepfather's fury! It surpassed even his mother's hysterical rage, being more serious and gruesome, making you feel that this old, sickly, skinny lion has all the authority he needs to kill you if he considers your mistakes to be too severe. Nuka had felt the consequences of making Scar mad on countless occasions when he was younger. Sometimes he would get yelled at for merely standing in his way. After Kovu's first cubs were born, however, Scar simply stopped paying any attention to his older stepson at all, treating him as the warm Outlands air or the dust under his feet. And that was even worse. Nuka had always been neglected, but now his mind was tortured with the feeling of being ignored. Worthless. Redundant.

And so he started hating Scar with all of his heart. Now that he was an adult he understood that it was him who got them exiled in the very beginning. Even though he never had the strength or courage to even express it, he loathed that pathetic, evil, lying old bastard of a lion that had the nerve to make him call himself "father" and the "king" of their pride. Along with that, Nuka didn't consider his mother and brother as worthy of any of his affection at all, remembering how they too were treating him. He didn't even really love Kovu's cubs as well. Taking care of them strained his nerves and was thoroughly exhausting, so Nuka didn't care if there were ten, twenty or none of them at all.

The lion kept hid eyes fixed at Scar. It seemed as if looking at his grandchildren made their ruler flourish. Not very long ago he hardly even left his lair, and now he enjoyed walking around, admiring the cubs fighting each other, growing with every passing day.

-"Looking at them makes me wanna throw up…" – Nuka whispered to himself, his face twisted with the feeling of disgust. And then he noticed something that enraged him even more. After making a closer examination, he noticed that he was lying in the exact same position as his stepfather- his front paws crossed, claws unsheathed, head down low, his tail lazily slapping the ground every once in a while… Almost as if he was trying to copy Scar's every movement.

He suddenly jumped to his paws, snarling distastefully. Even though he hated his stepfather, to his highest frustration he still couldn't get rid of the influence Scar had on him. As he was getting older, Nuka noticed that he was becoming more and more similar to someone he wasn't even related with, copying his movements, the phrases he used, the way he would easily get angry… Almost everything except that big, healthy mane of his! All of this was sending Nuka deeper into depression. And what was worse- he knew perfectly that he couldn't do anything about it. He raised his eyes once again, seeing that a whole bunch of lionesses had just entered the scene. It were Kovu's mates. Immediately, their ten cubs ran to their moms in order to greet them in a wave of laughter and soon the lionesses went away with the cubs. Nuka saw Scar, Zira and Kovu lying on the ground beside each other- his 'happy family' preparing for their evening rest. Of course, he wasn't invited to join them. Feeling that the termites that still infested his fur were about to cause another wave of unbearable itching, the lion just miffed with a sense of general aversion, heading towards the termite mounds to hide in some hole and isolate himself from all the humiliation.

* * *

**AN: There's nothing worse than a corrupted family, in which pain gives birth to hate… Poor Nuka's unlucky to be a member of such a family.**

**The names of Kovu's cubs are simply Swahili ordinal numbers.**


	7. The Spy

**Chapter 7 – The Spy**

Before Kovu's cubs were born, the Outlander lionesses came to Scar expressing their fears once again. They all thought that bringing new lions to the world in such a harsh and poor environment as their own would be futile. Namely, the pride wouldn't simply have enough food then. That was indeed a problem, but this time the old ruler had thought ahead. With his typical mysterious grin of malice and a shine in his emerald eyes, he told them about a plan he'd made in order to keep every one of his pridemembers properly fed. The whole idea was quite simple- since the neighboring Pridelands were now a fertile and prosperous area once again, it would simply be unwise not to get their food from there, even though the kingdom was still under the villainous Simba's domination. When Scar expressed that idea to his subjects, many hesitated, saying that it might be too dangerous. But the old ruler was far from letting the females question his wisdom, so he immediately got Zira to persuade to her pridesisters that it was absolutely necessary. And so soon the first Outlander huntresses crossed the border for the first time since their exile, snatching the game that happened to stray far enough from Pride Rock and then bringing it back to feed their own pride.

But stealing meat from his nephew's herds was only part of Scar's business in the Pridelands. There was a war he had been preparing to wage, and in order to start it he needed to know his foe- to gather important information that would later serve the Outlanders' victory. And to obtain those, he needed to send someone trustworthy enough to be his spy across the border.

Vitani was hiding among the thick, green bushes, so unfamiliar to the land that was presently her home. She liked to be sent to the Pridelands, whether her assignment was hunting or gathering precious gossip. Now she knew exactly why her parents were so determined to get the throne back for themselves- when compared to the dry, deserted, termite-infested Outlands, the area just across the border was simply a paradise, full of water and all kinds of animals, ready to be hunted and eaten. The one who exiled them from the Pridelands, sentencing a whole pride to a life filled with hunger and struggle, was truly a tyrant who needed to be overthrown.

Such were the thoughts that appeared in her head as she was observing the fresh carcass of a wildebeest that laid in the open savanna. Vitani had killed the antelope earlier that day, but the meat itself wasn't her greatest concern. She was using the dead corpse as a trap, and when she was carefully looking from beyond the bushes, she saw that it was working exactly as she had planned. What was easy to predict, the sight of the carcass quickly attracted a big vulture that was now circling over it in the sky, gradually lowering his altitude. After a few more minutes of patient waiting, Vitani saw the bird landing on the ground in a sense of safety, approaching the meat carefully yet with great excitement. Perfect- thought the lioness.

A moment later she sprung out of her hiding spot sending leaves flying into the air from the speed of her movement. The vulture didn't even have the time to flap his wings before he found himself crushed to the ground with giant clawed paws, having the grinning snout of a blue-eyed, ferocious she-lion right in front of his beak. The bird cried with despair- he was certain that this meant the end of him. But as he laid there barely able to breathe from the fear, he saw that the lioness wasn't attacking him at all. Instead she just laughed and a while later started speaking to him with her low, hoarse voice.

-"_Hm-hm-hm, _betcha didn't see me coming, huh? Far too slow, birdie. _Far_ too slow…"

The vulture could barely understand what she was saying, but somehow he felt that she wasn't really hostile.

-"Don't sweat it, fester-breath. I'm not very interested in fowl. Instead, if you do what I tell ya, you still might get out of this with your life. And with a full stomach, too. Just don't try any tricks!"

-"W-w-what do you want?" – stammered the frightened vulture.

-"Well whaddya know, you actually _can _speak!" – Vitani shook him joyfully, holding him by the wings. – "That's good, cause all I want from ya is to tell me something. Ya know any news about Simba? Or his _family,_ maybe? Think carefully and ya won't regret it. Trust me…"

-"T-t-the king?"

-"Yeah, you know damn well who I'm talking about! The lions that live at Pride Rock. Any news? What are they up to? Did any lion get born? Or _killed_?"

The vulture activated his thinking in the highest level. Luckily enough, he remembered that he'd indeed heard some rumors about the ever-popular family of lions.

-"Y-yes!" – he shouted enthusiastically. – "I heard something about that young lioness… _Err_, what was her name? Wait, l-let me think…"

-"Look, I haven't really got much _time_, if you get my point!" – the lioness dropped her smile as the bird hesitated, pressing a little harder to encourage him to speak up.

-"_OW_! Okay, I'll talk! It's t-the king's daughter! You know! I forgot what was her…"

-"_Kiara"_ – Vitani spat the name out with contempt. – "Her name is Kiara. Well, what about her, fester-breath? I'm all ears."

-"S-she's preparing for… uh, I-I mean they're sending her out… on a hunt! Her first lone hunt, that is. I-I heard some hornbill bragging about how her parents are going to be proud of her."

_Ha! This works every time. The birds are always full of useful info._ - Vitani thought._ Hm, so Kiara is preparing for her first hunt… _

That was great news! Until now Simba's been holding his little princess close to Pride Rock at all times. And finally he decided to release her from her leash…

-"_When?"_ – growled the lioness, expressing to the vulture that she wanted to know that bad.

-"Uh, I s-suppose he said… the day after t-tomorrow?"

Vitani gave him a close look. She could tell that he was scared dead and wasn't even in the proper state of mind for making up false stories. This made her fully satisfied with what she'd heard.

-"Fine. You can eat the wildebeest now" – she said smiling.

And then, to the vulture's greatest surprise, she let him go and disappeared among the bushes within a second.

-"_WHOA!_ What the… what was _that_?" – said the bird looking into the carcass' dead eyes, totally stunned with the suddenness of what had happened and how seemingly close to death he'd been just a moment ago.

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**AN: So, parallel to the situation from TLK2, Kiara's preparing for her hunt. Little does she know that _she's_ going to be the prey XD**


	8. Old Fire

**Chapter 8 – Old Fire**

Scar knew his mate very well.

In order to even be able to coexist with Zira at all, one just had to be conscious of her preferences, habits and behaviors, or otherwise he would be constantly threatened with having to cope with her 'tense' and 'delicate' nature. True, it wasn't easy, and Scar himself had to learn from the many little mistakes he'd made earlier. But finally, at least in his own opinion, he had gained enough understanding for her shallow desires and was prepared for everything that she could possibly think of. Zira was such a predictable beast that in the past years it almost made Scar laugh when he saw just how obvious and easy to manipulate she turned out. At some times, she would stand in front of him almost frothing at the mouth, but only a few minutes and few smooth words later, she would fawn at his feet.

Scar did not consider her stupid- oh no. If it were that way, he would be so irritated with it that he would have sent the lioness away years ago. Zira occurred useful and quite clever at times, undoubtedly far more than any hyena would have been. She had strength. She had authority among her lionesses. And furthermore- she was faithful. Even though he knew the sight of anger on his mate's face perfectly, Scar could not imagine her ever leaving him. She was simply obsessed with the power he bore, or had born. In both cases, that was something she would die for- this desire caused her to treat him like a god when he became the king of the Pridelands. It made her follow him to the Outlands after his defeat and exile. This also made her stick to him loyally through all these later years of harsh battle for survival. And all he ever had to pay for it was a content look, a kind word, some minor physical praise that ensured her he still wanted to share his reign with her. Scar had a whole list of her favorite compliments written in his mind. Zira was his possession- it had been so ever since he chose her to become his mate.

Once it was a totally fake and hypocritical relationship- a splendid chance for Scar to exercise his lying and manipulating skills, what he did as a sort of hobby. But lately he noticed that at some point somewhere inside him he sort of… started enjoying Zira's presence. She'd been loyal to him for years, taking care of him in his illness. Sure, sometimes she was a true pain in the neck, but still Scar noticed that now, when they were both older, he simply got used to that skinny, edgy lioness.

That was exactly what caused him to be extremely surprised about her dissatisfaction.

For the past months Scar had been feeding the members of his pride with the visions of an upcoming triumph. He was sure that with the help of his grandchildren, they would be able to smite the Pridelanders from the face of the earth and regain the abundant land that was once also their home. Even though the lionesses along with Zira herself were very impatient for Scar to finally make his promises come true, there was nothing they could really do as the little lions were only just cubs, still needing at least two years of training. The inexorable slow motion of the circle of life might have taken the annoying females off Scar's back to his great relief, but still he decided to do something in order to somehow soothe the tension among the females. All he needed was the right opportunity.

And this was when his stepdaughter came in handy. That afternoon Vitani came to him, running as if something incredibly pleasing had happened. What she revealed was that Kiara, Simba's precious only child, the one who he'd been carefully protecting, was preparing for her first lone hunt. That meant that for the first time in years the Outlanders' prime enemy would let the one whom he loved most leave their safe stronghold on her own and move temptingly close to their home. Scar was deeply excited to hear that. At once he thought of a plan to strike his foe for the first time- to show the Outlanders that he still had power, to prove to his own pride that he wasn't lying about their close victory. He called for Zira and told her all about it. He wanted Vitani and Nuka to set up an ambush in order to trap princess Kiara when she would be engaged in her hunt. That would be the time for Kovu to move into action. Scar had his fears about his chosen heir- when his cubs were born, Kovu seamed to be showing more interest in taking care of them than to thinking about the war, becoming king or anything else. He needed to be cured from his overwhelming fatherly instincts. And this is why Scar wanted him to kill Kiara. After that, he wouldn't have any more doubts that indeed Zira's son was both worthy and ready to become his successor.

Scar and Zira were lying beside one another inside the termite mound. The whole cavern was illuminated with nothing more but the faint moonlight and everybody else was probably fast asleep somewhere in the other parts of the Outlanders' layer. The old ruler considered it a splendid time to talk to his mate about his great expectations that concerned the plan he'd craftily elaborated in his mind. With his head slung over her neck, feeling the softness of her skin, he silently poured his macabre fantasies into Zira's ear.

-"Darling, I feel that our time to act has finally come. Soon we will repay those traitorous ignorants for our years of humiliation. Simba's daughter will be the first one to be swallowed by the horror of the war to come, and I have full confidence that Kovu will execute his assignment without mercy and hesitation. Oh, can you already hear her squealing in his grasp? And just imagine the choir of painful howls when Simba finds out about our first blow! It will be a perfect prelude to the day when all of the Pridelanders will feel exactly how it is to be overthrown and cast away- and far more than that. Can you hear it, Zira? Can you hear their mournful cry? Can you look forward to the future and imagine us both standing atop of Pride Rock once again, showered in triumph against a blood-red sky?"

Speaking with passion, he couldn't sense that his mate did not share his enthusiasm. When he finished speaking, he wanted to joyfully nestle into the side of her neck, but she didn't let him. Without saying a thing, Zira rose from the ground and simply started walking towards the den's exit with a lowered head. Scar looked at her, startled.

-"Zira, where are you going?" – he asked, starting to feel irritated with her strange behavior, but got nothing as an answer. The lion sighed deeply, feeling that once again it was obviously 'one of those days'. He used all his strength in order to stand up and then went after her. When the dry, warm air of the Outlands touched his face, Scar noticed that his mate was sitting on the ground among the darkness of the night. Without qualms the lion stood in front of her and looked at her in a way that showed his demand of explanations. But she just turned her sight away from him.

-"What is the matter with you?" – he growled, displeased with the fact that despite the perfection of the plan he'd made, his mate was still unsatisfied. But the problem was deeper than that. And Zira always had a trouble in expressing the feelings in her heart. After a moment of silence, she gazed at Scar baring the expression of deep disappointment.

-"I have grown tired of your tales" – she uttered. – "Do you really think that I would be able to survive depending on dreams and promises forever?"

Scar felt his pressure rising drastically. _What_? Did Zira doubt in him? Did she _dare_ to think that the things he'd been saying weren't true? Was that even the same lioness he'd known saying that? What happened to all her admiration, what happened to her faithful worship of his every word and act? No, she couldn't contradict him. Not now. He wouldn't let her do that.

-"Have you lost your _mind_?" – he screamed at her, not caring if he will wake anyone up or even make Zira fall into one of her attacks of fury. He'd been delicate long enough. Now the female needed to know that he was still the king around here. – "I am deeply displeased with your behavior! Which one of your fool hunting friends has filled your mind with such ridiculous nonsense? Who do you take me for? Do you really think that if all I had been talking about were only invented fairytales, I would give them enough interest to talk about them myself in the first place? What I plan to do is both possible and in our reach, and now, when I am gladly preparing to set what we've been working on in motion, _you_ accuse me of trying to fool both you and myself?"

Despite her mate's strong attempts to emphasize his wrath as fearfully as it was possible the lioness stayed calm, observing Scar reluctantly as he was circling around her.

-"Tell me one thing, Zira" – he finally halted, piercing her with his sight. – "During all these years, have I ever lied to you? Have I ever given you a _single_ cause not to trust me?"

-"Only once" – she muttered at him with a cold reproach.

Scar frowned with disbelief. Try as he might, he truly couldn't think of a single time that he might have acted in a way that could show Zira that he was indeed using or manipulating her. No. He'd been a good mate in his own eyes, perhaps even too good. Or maybe he just had too much trust in his own psychological influence?

-"Oh _dear_…" – he skillfully changed the tone of his voice and adopted a sad face as if he felt deeply hurt by her opinion. But truth be told, it indeed caused him to feel strangely uncomfortable. – "Are you saying this seriously, Zira? Explain it to me, please. I feel terrible."

-"Don't you play games with me!" – she burst out angrily. – "I'm not talking about Kovu or the war. I know perfectly that we can crush those damned Pridelanders. I train those who are preparing to do it and I have complete confidence in them... And in you, as well."

They looked into each other's eyes with sadness. And both of them wondered if the other one's sorrow was indeed true. Scar felt inwardly irritated by the fact that he still didn't know what was it that Zira really wanted. She on the other hand knew that, but still had a great trouble in expressing it. Over the years of thinking about vengeance, she noticed that Scar and her became almost solely committed to that goal, leaving hardly any time for anything else. Now, when she used to remember the passionate moments from the beginning of their relationship, she felt just how she missed those times. She did not want to contradict to Scar's plan of taking over the Pridelands. No, she wanted to do that herself, with him at her side. But still she wanted something more from Scar personally. Namely, she wanted _him_.

-"You promised to make me your one and only mate" – Zira started to whispered in a low tone. – "And so you kept that promise, at least as far as I know. But there are certain things that a lioness… expects of her mate. What of that is left between us besides hollow words?"

Scar couldn't believe his ears. Zira stared at him in a way he hadn't seen probably since their last night at Pride Rock. Oh, so _that's _what she lacked! A very low and primitive lust, he thought. Even for her.

-"You have to be joking" – Scar uttered with disgust. – "I remind you that you already have _three _children of your own and _ten _grandchildren in addition to that! Isn't that enough for you?"

But Zira just snorted at him, rolling her eyes.

-"You don't have _any_ idea what I am talking about! And what if I had thirty more cubs of my own? That doesn't change anything. The fact is that I am _your _mate, and still we have no children _of our own!_"

Scar had always considered it extremely hard to control lionesses. It wasn't so hard when it came to other animals, but the females had the tendency to act strangely even if you thought you knew them well. This is why he used Zira to rule the lionesses from his pride, himself considering that he had enough knowledge at least about the character of his mate. But tonight, for the first time in years, she actually managed to surprise him. Looking her straight in the eyes, he sighed deeply. And then he smiled.

-"You naughty kitty!" – Scar purred seductively. – "And I almost thought that you were trying to be rebellious."

Then he let her cuddle up into his ebony mane and breathe with passion. She thought she'd won- that she would now get what she expected. And that would probably be so, only if Scar didn't have this disability in submitting to the will of others.

-"Believe me, darling" – he whispered into Zira's ear. – "If it was up to me, I'd made you a happy mother of a whole army of lions long ago."

Zira withdrew her head and looked straight into his eyes with hungry expectation. But his face became like a stone sculpture.

-"Alas, I am afraid that the state of my health renders me unable to yield to your demands. Pardon me, but I will not mate with you. You can go and thank Simba for what he'd done to me."

Scar was expecting to hear her roaring furiously. In the blink of an eye, the whole romantic atmosphere vanished. The lion waited a few more moments before he started laughing.

-"_Hahaha_, oh you poor thing! You better use your strength for what is _really_ important, at least for now." – he looked at his mate with a sense of compassion, even though she wasn't very cheerful herself. – "But who can say what the future will bring? Who knows, maybe some day, when we finally recapture the Pridelands, the improvement of our life standards would make me feel better and regain some of my former strength? And then, perhaps, we could celebrate…"

His low, tempting voice quickly extinguished the fire in Zira's heart. Once again, he was trying to feed her with promises. But what else could she do but wait? If there was one thing that living in the Outlands could teach, it was patience.

-"Promise?" – she whispered, gazing straight into his eyes with longing.

Scar just bared his fangs, once again enchanting her with his grin.

-"Yes, darling. I promise."

And that was it. That short sentence was just what he needed to make her fall into his embrace once again. As he heard her sigh of relief, he couldn't help not to enjoy the vision of the zeal with which she would undoubtedly start carrying out her duties not later than tomorrow.

* * *

**AN: It always makes me wonder how Scar and Zira got along when they were mates. We never had the chance to actually see them in the movies, which is a shame. They both have extremely independent characters, so it's an interesting thought. And, of course, if there was ever really any love between them.**


	9. Roastytoasty Princess

**Chapter 9 – Roasty toasty Princess**

Everything had been carefully prepared. Scar and Zira had the whole Outlander pride assembled together in order to express to them the full significance of what was going to take place, and everyone had their specific roles well explained to prevent anything from going wrong. The plan was really simple- Vitani and Nuka were to find out where Kiara was going to start her hunt. Then they would start a fire that would cut off her way of escape. And this is where Kovu was to enter the scene, putting the trapped princes out of her misery. Outlanders- one point, Pridelanders- zero.

Everybody were at the highest point of excitement, desperately waiting to finally strike the ones they hated. This atmosphere also acquired to Nuka. He hadn't had anything to do that would somehow change the miserable position in his pride, but now was his chance to actually gain some respect. The night before Kiara's hunt, he couldn't sleep. Instead, he spent hours thinking about what he should do in order to accomplish his assignment as perfectly as possible. But then he thought about something different. Indeed, his mission was only a preparation for the essential job that Kovu had to carry out. If his brother would succeed, Nuka's efforts wouldn't be visible at all. The thought didn't leave him in peace. Finally, before the break of dawn, he constructed his own little plan in order to make things better for himself. And so the next day, as soon as he could, he woke Vitani up and took her to the Pridelands.

Nuka hadn't been there in a long time, but still he remembered that the hunting grounds were just across the river, not far from the border of the Outlands. Finding Kiara occurred really easy- as with all amateur hunters, she also scared the animals she was trying to catch rather than actually stalk them. As soon as he and his sister, sniping the area from the distance of a nearby hill, saw Simba's daughter wallowing among the grasses boldly far away from the safety of Pride Rock, he rushed straight into action. Earlier Vitani had taken him to the Elephant Graveyard- a dark and gruesome place, once the dominion of the hyenas, nowadays deserted, but still filled with volcanic geysers and deep holes in the ground that were filled with liquid fire. At first Nuka had no idea why his sister took him there, but when he saw her igniting a small stick at one of the fiery geysers, he was overflown with joy. Now, holding his own little torch tightly in his fangs, he ran towards the savanna in order to set the grasses ablaze, thus cutting off Kiara's way of escape. The bushes were scorched with the sun and Nuka was surprised just how fast the flames were spreading.

-"Roasty-toasty princess, roasty-toasty princess…" – he cheered joyfully, seeing how easy it was to carry out the first phase of his plan. Then he suddenly noticed himself surrounded by the flames.

-"Hey, is it hot in here, or is it just me?" – he mumbled, slowly realizing the danger he put himself in. He quickly jumped from inside a circle of fire, and then moved away from it, considering that he better be careful- after all, he wasn't the one who was supposed to die today.

Not far away, a young lioness was hiding in the thicket, oblivious to what was actually happening around her. Once again, she heard the antelopes she was attempting to hunt rushing into a wild stampede, running away from her in panic.

-"Oh, not _again_! I'm sure I didn't make any noise this time!" – she said to herself, already feeling mad and tired from all her unsuccessful attempts to finally catch something.

But then she saw smoke in the horizon. Smoke, fire and a whole horde of other animals, desperately trying to escape from the flames. Fear filled her heart. Not thinking much, she also joined the race for life, knowing that since she was surrounded by dry grass from every direction, her life was now in serious danger. She headed towards the direction she came from, but soon smoke lifted above the whole savanna, blinding and disorienting her. Frightened, she began to search for another way to escape, but wherever she turned, fire seamed to already be there. Coughing, unable to catch her breath, she thought that maybe indeed her father was right- maybe she really shouldn't have left Pride Rock that day? That was only a short thought though, as soon darkness surrounded her and she totally lost her consciousness. But before that happened, not sure if it was true or if it was only a vision, Kiara still had the chance to see the shape of a dark lion emerging from among the fumes.

The lion stood above his stunned victim, observing it for a while. The young female was doomed in her present state- the flames were already close, and soon, if she didn't wake up, they would roast her alive. It would be enough to just leave her to die, but no- Scar wanted something more. He wanted to see her blood.

Not thinking much, the lion turned Kiara's head around to uncover her neck. And he was almost ready to bite into it…

He took another look at her face. Oddly enough, that image made him feel things in his heart that he had never felt before. The pleasant feeling was so strong that it actually prevented him from acting. Actually, he didn't want to kill the lioness anymore. But what else could he do? After a while, even if it was totally crazy, he grabbed Kiara and threw her over his back. She was heavy, but as he now saw himself also threatened with the approaching flames, a rush of adrenaline made him take off in a run much faster than he could have ever achieved earlier.

The dark lion ran like hell, omitting the many walls of fire and other blazing obstacles that growing out in his way. Trying to protect the unconscious body on his back as best he could, even though himself blinded with fear and stress, finally he managed to somehow take over a slope, afterwards finding himself flying in mid air straight into the depth of the river. Regaining his senses, he was still able to grab Kiara with his fangs and pull her out to shore.

That was it- he managed to save both her and himself.

Collapsing to the ground exhausted, he couldn't help to ask the question- why did he do that? Why didn't he accomplish his carefully devised plan? Why did he do something totally opposite? And then he remembered. Turning his sight towards the lioness that laid right next to him, he saw that she was beautiful. Even though she was now sooty and soaking wet. After a few moments, to the lion's relief, she opened her eyes and took a deep breath.

So she was alive!

Standing above her, the lion looked at her, content of the act of bravery he'd just committed, awaiting his reward even though he did it almost absentmindedly.

-"Where am I?" – said the lioness in a weak voice, barely regaining contact with the world. The dark male in front of her took a look around, as he'd himself been totally unaware of the direction he was running.

-"You're… safe. In the Pridelands… I guess" – he answered her, considering what he was able to find out about their present whereabouts.

-"The Pridelands? No!" – Kiara shouted at him angrily. To his great surprise, even though she had just been close to death, she charged at him, full of grievance. – "Why did you bring me here? Who do you think you are?"

_Oh damn, and she seamed to be so pretty when she was still asleep just a moment ago…_ But maybe it were only her royal manners speaking through her?

-"What? I _think _I'm the one who just saved your life!" – the lion muttered, not very happy to just be denied in such a way.

-"Look, I had everything under control!"

He couldn't believe her nerve. She was pushing it, and he did not like that. He decided to try and change her attitude somehow. Without warning, he quickly pounced straight at her, pinning her to the ground. Frightened, she tried to escape from under his embrace, but he was still the male of the two of them.

-"Let me go! _Let go_, you big ape, or I'll call for my father!"

But the lion just stared at her, enjoying her helplessness and the total control he had over her. With a loud laugh, he stuck out his tongue at her.

-"Now who's got everything under control, _huh_?"

Even though he was joking when he said that, she still looked at him with fear. That kind of made him feel bad, so he just shook his head, letting her go a moment later.

-"What's the matter? Don't you know how to play?" – he asked her when she stood back up at her feet. Somehow, these words seamed to have cheered her up for some reason. Remembering a scene from the far past, Kiara gave the lion standing in front of her a close look.

-"Kovu?" – she asked with unsteadiness, smiling awkwardly to the thought that she'd acted so impolitely towards her old friend. But the lion did not smile back at her.

-"_Puh_! Figures… I suppose I do kinda look like'em…"

Disappointed, he turned around, lowering his head, visibly sad about the way she addressed him. That made Kiara wonder even more. The one who'd saved her did have dark fur, but he seamed far more emaciated and sickly than the Kovu she'd once known. And was also significantly older.

-"Who are you?" – she asked him, concerned about his sudden sadness. The lion turned around, gazing at her with his tired, brown eyes.

-"I'm not Kovu. My name's Nuka. I'm his older brother" – he answered as if he was ashamed of it.

* * *

**AN: _(Sings) I fell into a burning ring of fire. I went down, down, down, and the flames went higher... _XD**

**Now does the story become mixed up!**


	10. On foreign Territory

**Chapter 10 – On foreign Territory**

Originally, Nuka's plan was to steal the respect his brother would have gained in Scar's eyes by killing the Pridelander princess. He deceived himself that murdering her would finally show his stepfather that he was indeed more than he'd been given credit for. But after Nuka saw Kiara's face, his mind was full of questions about what was it he wanted to do. Did he really seek to spill her blood to please Scar, or was he himself the one who was worthy of a little consolation? In his moment of choice, he considered the fact that Scar was the one who wanted Kiara dead.

Nuka did not. Actually, looking at her for that mere second made him feel irresistibly that he wanted her alive- for himself. And he couldn't have done it in a different way than by rescuing her from the flames.

So now he had her- there she was, right there by his side. And now that was practically the only thing he had left. Taking a rational look on the consequences of his sudden acts, Nuka knew that Scar would have him at least exiled, if not killed for his insolent act. And only now did he realize just how unwise he had been.

The pretty, young lioness that stood in front of him was eyeing him with pity. Having spent all of her life in the safe and plentiful Pridelands, never before had she seen a lion so gaunt and neglected. Her father, king Simba, had told her about how the Outlanders were ruthless towards each other, and knowing that Nuka was the brother of a friend she'd once had made her feel really sorry for him.

-"So… you're an Outlander, aren't you?" – she spoke to him, trying to address the one who saved her from certain death with all the understanding she was capable of. Nuka lifted his head towards her, revealing the expression of someone who was slowly becoming conscious of the corollaries of what he'd done.

-"Yeah… I _was _an Outlander." – he mumbled.

For a brief moment they shared a mutual look of sadness, during which Nuka felt something that was really unfamiliar to him- for the first time in his life, someone would sympathize with him. It was kind of unbelievable, but the lion had a weird hunch that this young female, who was significantly attractive to him, actually _liked _him.

She was about to say something, but then their little rendezvous was brutally interrupted.

_Kiara!_

A desperate scream, accompanied by a mighty roar, pulled Nuka straight out of the depth of the lioness' eyes. And then, to his great horror, he suddenly found himself surrounded by a group of strange lions. _Pridelanders._

A big, middle-aged male with a large red mane jumped straight between him and Kiara, separating them in a blink of an eye. His new friend was immediately joined by another adult lioness. Nuka observed the whole commotion with terror, but Kiara looked more irritated than shocked.

-"Father! How could you brake your promise?" – not caring about the caress given to her by the frightened, older female, she uttered towards the big lion.

Hearing the word '_father_' coming from her mouth made Nuka flinch. He now knew that the one standing in front of him was Simba- the legendary arch-enemy of his pride, the one who's evil deeds he'd heard about for years, even though now was the first time in his life when he actually saw him. Piercing him carefully with a combative countenance, the king of the Pridelands started rebuking his daughter.

-"It's a good thing I did! I almost lost you. No more hunts for you, not ever!"

Just as Kiara had been told of the Outlanders, also Nuka had heard stories about the Pridelanders' ruthlessness. But banning a lioness from hunting was just like sentencing her to death. And Kiara felt just the same.

-"But I was doing just fine! Even before Nuka…"

Oops. The cat fell out of the bag. Simba knew perfectly what that name meant. It made him picture in his mind the face of his uncle, Nuka's stepfather- an image that made his blood boil.

-"_Nuka_?" – he repeated the name in a tone that sent shivers down the spine of the lion who bore it. And then he started growling at him furiously, just as a male lion does when he is protecting his territory. Moments before he starts attacking. Now both Kiara and the other lioness, that was most likely her mother, started to become concerned.

-"_Simba_!" – they shouted, trying to prevent the king from tearing the measly trespasser apart. And then another strange figure appeared on the stage.

-"Hey you!" – everybody turned around hearing a very old mandrill waving a big stick at them. – "Get out of here! You only bring bad luck to this land! Simba! Do not trust the black-maned lion!"

And then, as fast as he'd appeared, the ape was gone. But the king was still there, eyeing Nuka with highest disdain. Now Nuka was certain about the fatal mistake he'd made. Following a stupid fancy, he let his good side take him over. If he'd killed Kiara, at least he could come back to the Outlands, even if he wouldn't get praised for stealing Kovu's assignment. But now he didn't have anywhere else to go. He just turned his head towards Kiara, sharing with her what he thought would be their last, sorrowful look. But then she finally decided to take matters into her own paws, thinking that her father had prevented her from having a will of her own for long enough.

-"_No_!" – she shrieked, approaching Simba with a demanding expression. – "You _can't _just order him to leave! Nuka saved my life when I was threatened by the fire. I passed out and he… And he carried me out of danger".

The king looked at his daughter in disbelief. The situation she described did not match his image of how an Outlander would act.

-"You _saved _her?" – he then addressed Nuka, piercing him with a distrustful gaze. – "Why?"

Nuka felt that, somehow, this could actually be an opportunity to save himself from a sad end in the desert.

-"I…" – he gulped. What could he say? Everything depended on being as bold as it was possible. Fighting an inner battle, struggling with his fear, finally he continued. – "I wanna join your pride."

-"_No_!" – the bold proposition was answered by an adequately strict answer. – "You were banished with the other Outlanders!"

Nuka thought that that was actually no reason at all. He was such a small cub then that he didn't even remember the fact of their exile, not speaking it's cause. Unfortunately, Simba seamed to have hated the Outlanders as a principle. But truth be told, Nuka also hated the Outlanders. And the things he'd done not so long ago efficiently severed the last bonds he'd had with his family.

-"I-I've… left the Outlanders." – he expressed the truth with a trembling voice. – "I'm a rogue. Judge me now for who I am… or would you rather blame me for a crime I didn't commit?"

Similar to Scar, Simba was a proud monarch who did not like to have his authority undermined. When he heard Nuka's accusation and seeing the expectant stares of his lionesses that followed, the king grinned from the burden of this problematic case. Nuka almost smiled internally when he saw that it was too much for his skill of swift judgment. As Simba started walking around in circles, growling, not knowing how to answer, the former Outlander felt that he'd just managed to copy his stepfather's ability of manipulating others. It took only a few crafty words, striking straight into a weak spot, to tip the scales to his advantage. That was truly a joyful thought. And Nuka was also happy not to be alone in his battle of words- to his great delight, he heard Nala backing him up for some reason.

-"Simba, you owe him your daughter's life!" – were the words of a truly grateful mother.

Simba was completely torn. The voices in his mind were giving him contrary advices. Truly, he was in Nuka's debt for rescuing Kiara- even Zazu flew up to him, ensuring him that he should consider that. But wasn't Nuka Scar's stepson? The old tyrant had been sending spies to the Pridelands for months and Simba knew about that. But could this measly, skinny shadow of a lion, so disgustingly similar to his murderous uncle, really be a threat to him or his pride? Rafiki was clearly trying to warn him about something. Even though he did it in his own shrewd manner, the king still trusted him to have some sort of contact with the Old Kings. And also with Mufasa.

-"My father's law will prevail." – he said finally, not able to find a better solution, at least for today. – "For now, I reserve my judgment. We'll see who you really are…"

Nuka could not believe his ears. _What_? Was Simba unable to make a decision of his own? That meant that indeed if he tried to use his stepfather's ways, Nuka still might be able to mold the will of this supposed 'king'. With the words '_we'll see who you really are_'Simba was now carelessly inviting him to stay in the Pridelands.

Nuka turned his head towards Kiara, adopting a wide, triumphant grin, to what she also smiled at him friendly. Then he thought that with enough cunning, he would not have to wait long before the little princess would be _his_.

* * *

**AN: So I didn't really do much, only replacing Zira's younger son with the older one XD**

**Due to his bad upbringing, Nuka's got a really shallow set of morals values, so he is unwillingly using Scar's manipulative skills to gain Simba's trust to make Kiara an object of not love, but lust.**

**And what with her? Will it have any effect on he little rebel daughter of the overprotective Simba? Or will _upendi_ find a way yet again?**

**Please, keep reading! Please, keep reviewing!**


	11. Overcoming the Obstacles

**Chapter 11 – Overcoming the Obstacles**

Indeed, Simba let Nuka stay in the Pridelands, but that was probably the kindest gesture he was going to show him at first. When they all reached Pride Rock, a place Nuka had not seen since his early cubhood, the king didn't even let him enter the pride's layer. Fortunately, Kiara gave him a little light of hope when she swiftly thanked him for saving her life and ensured that they were going to speak more the next morning, just before her father ordered her to come into the cave.

_I can't wait_ – chuckled the former Outlander as he was lying to sleep on the pleasantly cold stone pavement, following the young lioness with a lustful gaze as she disappeared in the darkness.

At the break of dawn, Kiara was the one to wake him up, being quite enthusiastic to show him around the Pridelands.

_Damn, am I the first male lion this girl has ever seen besides that possessive dad of hers? _– Nuka thought, still enjoying the princess' sympathy a lot. But just before they were about to start walking, Simba emerged from inside his den with a warning roar, and with a whole bunch of very suspiciously-looking lionesses.

-"Hold it there!" – the king addressed his daughter in a firm tone. – "I'll be keeping my eye on you two…"

Hearing that, Kiara just rolled her eyes. Nuka on the other hand observed Simba's lionesses carefully. Truly, some of them were older, but still there was more of them than the Outlanders. Now he understood why Scar decided to delay starting the war until their chances would be a little higher. But that did not really concern him anymore.

With the flip of a tail, he turned his back at the Pridelanders and ran off with his new friend. Kiara showed him all around Simba's kingdom, and while he was admiring it, Nuka knew perfectly why Scar was so consumed with revenge for exiling him and his pride to the Outlands. When compared to his former home, the Pridelands were a paradise. Nuka couldn't remember if he ever saw a whole herd of zebras or a lake anywhere in the Outlands, while over here there was really plenty of everything. The two lions spent a few days solely on sightseeing and talking to each other. Nuka noticed that the more he spoke about the horror of living in the Outlands, the constant battle for survival in finding enough food and water along with having to carry the burden of how his family was treating him, the more Kiara tried to sympathize with him, to console him and somehow get his mind off those traumatic memories. She was the most kind-hearted being Nuka ever met in his whole life. That made him want to feed her pity more and more, what made her come closer and closer in her compassionate friendship. Which was exactly what Nuka craved.

Even though Simba would always send someone to spy on them, sometimes rebuking Kiara personally to stop wasting her time with Nuka and continue her hunting training, she still spent most of her days with him, even sharing her food with the former enemy. That made the king furious at her, but after years of having to obey him, she started enjoying sneaking out and maliciously contradicting her annoyingly overprotective father. Spending time with Nuka gave Kiara the taste of freedom she had always missed before, and he himself was also flourishing by her side. Opening his heart to her, revealing his old scars, slowly he started to heal. Kiara even helped him fight the termite infestation in his fur- seeing how awkward his constant itching would make him feel, she delicately hinted that maybe he should just take regular baths. Actually, due to the minor amount of water back in the Outlands, Nuka had never thought about wasting it for washing. But now there was no such problem anymore. After a short time he would travel to one of the many waterholes for a swim along with Kiara nearly every day, and so soon he gladly noticed that not only were his parasites gone, but also his haggard fur and measly mane started to grow again. That was also due to the fact that now finally he had the chance to eat regular meals. It didn't take long before Kiara started giving him looks of attraction, admiring his healthy, shiny, pitch-black hairdo. Even though Nuka felt extremely proud whenever she did that, he himself preferred not to stare at his reflection for too long, noticing how disturbingly similar he now looked to Scar.

And so, enjoying the vast benefits of his translocation, Nuka tried more and more to get as close to Kiara as he possibly could. She was the incarnate symbol of everything he'd ever wanted. Once the last member of his former pride, now Nuka was hoping to become the mate of a princess, so he was putting all his strength into action in order to achieve that. What helped him greatly was the fact that Kiara seamed to be… well, falling for him deeper every day. But there was still the question of her father. Simba still didn't like or trust Nuka. He persisted in not allowing him to sleep in the cave at Pride Rock, still observed every motion he and Kiara were making in the Pridelands using his many spies and stalkers, still preventing the pair from coming too close. So once, when he thought that finally he knew Kiara enough to convince her, Nuka asked the princess if she wouldn't mind sneaking out of Pride Rock with him one night to finally have some time only for themselves. To his joy, Kiara eagerly agreed, sensing another chance to do something naughty and contrary to the king's orders. As long as Nuka encouraged her, she didn't care about the consequences. That was just her- young, kind-hearted and trusting, what also naturally connected with being naive.

So eventually Nuka and Kiara ended up lying on a grassy meadow, gazing at the bright stars in the middle of the night. The princess was perfectly conscious to be breaking virtually every rule her father had given her, yet Nuka was the one who felt his heart hammering inside his chest. Even though Kiara was very outgoing towards him, he still felt a little shy. Therefore, she was the one who lead the conversation.

-"Look, there's one that looks like a baby rabbit!" – she said smiling, pointing at one of the distant constellations with her paw. – "See the fluffy tail?"

Nuka didn't see no rabbit at all. He would rather enjoy admiring the stars in Kiara's eyes, but since they were both lying on their backs beside one another, he decided to play that little senseless game of hers just to introduce a proper mood.

-"_Erm, _sure!" – he exclaimed with staged enthusiasm. Then he took a closer look at the sky. Surprisingly, one of the starry hazes did kind of remind him of something. – "Hey! The one over there looks like two lions killing each other for a scrap of meat!" – he chuckled, pointing his eyes and paw towards the darkness above. – "What do you think that could mean?"

Even though Nuka wasn't conscious of that, Kiara glared at him with concern.

-"Well, when I used to stargaze with my father, he always told me that all the great kings of the past are up there. And sometimes, if they have something really important to tell us, you can see it if you look towards the sky carefully enough."

The lion turned his head towards his friend. Judging by the tone of her voice, there was still something inside her that filled her with anxiety.

-"What are you trying to say?" – he asked her silently, but she didn't answer. That was a bad sign. The atmosphere was becoming alarmingly depressing, and Nuka knew that he needed to change that. So, not thinking much, he rolled over the side, suddenly crushing Kiara with the weight of his body, trapping her under his embrace.

-"_Aah! _What are you doing?" – she shrieked, giggling and desperately trying to release herself for a moment. But then she just calmed down, breathing heavily as she and Nuka shared a smile.

-"What are you afraid of?" – he asked. – "Nothing's gonna harm you while I'm around!"

-"It's _you_ who I'm afraid of!" – she chuckled back at him, rebuking him for his naughty behavior. And then their eyes met.

-"Ya know, this reminds me of the day I saved you." – said Nuka. – "Remember? Back then you also weren't able to make me let go of you."

The hazel depth of her sight was calling him to fall deeper inside it.

-"Oh yeah?" – she whispered seductively. – "And what if I _don't_ want you to let go?"

Kiara also felt her own craving overwhelming her. When she was blissfully admiring the ebony darkness of Nuka's mane and the warmth of his soft fur, hypnotized by the sound of her own forceful heartbeat, it was as if she was to be possessed by the passion of the moment. Now wouldn't that be the perfect contradiction to something she couldn't stand anymore- Simba's power over her. This night was to be the princess' most obscene extravagance. And besides, Nuka deserved this little comfort she could give him after what he'd been through in his life.

-"Sheathe your claws." – she mouthed, holding her breath.

But he was totally lost in the depth of her eyes.

-"What?" – he muttered absentmindedly.

-"Sheathe your claws. You're hurting me."

-"Oh! Yeah, _heh-heh_… Sorry…" – the lion laughed awkwardly, noticing that he no longer needed to hold her against her will.

As they were smiling at each other, conscious of the mutual consent, their muzzles were moving closer and closer, until…

They collided like two fighting gazelle stags.

-"_OOOWWW!" –_Kiara shrieked out of pain and shock.

-"_RAH_! What the hell was that?" – Nuka roared. It felt like someone threw a rock at his head right when he was about to…

Both of the would-be lovers raised their eyes towards the upper branches of a tree under which they were lying. Atop of it there sat some crazed, twisted figure, yelling at them frantically, exposing in his hands a coconut that he was ready to once again throw at them.

-"_WHOOO_! Stop! Leave this land! Go on, get out of here! _WHOOHOOHOO_!"

As the strange and annoying animal was shouting senselessly and waving his limbs, Nuka became furious from the thought that this crazy being, whatever it was, just spoiled his and Kiara's 'special' moment for good.

-"Who's _that_?" – he uttered from behind clenched teeth.

-"_Uh_, a 'friend of the family'…" – the lioness sighed, rolling her eyes, herself also deeply disappointed.

It was then when Nuka recognized the intruder as Simba's shrewd mandrill advisor. Remembering how he had already tried to convince the king to not letting him enter the Pridelands, he became overflowing with rage. In a flash, Nuka leaded up from the ground with a wild roar, leaving Kiara lying alone on the grass, totally startled. Rafiki didn't even think that Nuka was able of such swift motion. Seeing him ascend the tree in two strong jumps, the ape's scream silenced. He just dropped the coconut he was holding and was barely able to grab hold of his cane before the lion was already swinging his clawed paw at him. Knowing that the evening was already wasted, Nuka at least wanted to show off in front of Kiara. Now that he was well-fed, he finally had a chance to use what he'd managed to observe during the Outlander lionesses' hunting lessons. But even though he did pretty well in ascending the tree in the blink of an eye, Rafiki still had much more skill and experience in fast relocation. With a loud shriek, he jumped down from the tree, disappearing in the tall grass within seconds.

Tired and mad, Nuka sat in front of Kiara.

-"Great! Now I bet he's gonna tell everything to my father." – she said sadly.

-"Oh don't you worry about that, darling!" – the lion consoled her. Fortunately, she smiled back at him, holding him tightly.

After that, they both decided that it was time to go back to Pride Rock. They just weren't in the mood for anything more that night. As they were walking silently, many thoughts were appearing inside Nuka's mind.

_It's just my frickin' luck… What am I supposed to do now? That damn ape's gonna get me kicked out of the Pridelands! Oh, if only Simba wasn't so…_

_Maybe Scar was right about'em in the first place? Maybe he really is just an evil impostor? If not, why does he keep treating Kiara like some sorta slave? Maybe he really should pay…_

_Oh yeah, that's what Scar would want me to do. But he would never tell that to me, noo. It would be far too complicated for the 'retarded and useless Nuka' to dispose of an adult male lion all by himself…_

_But…_

_Maybe I should kill Simba? Maybe I should prove that I'm not just a stupid whelp? Then would everyone from my pride be shocked!_

_Oh, what am I thinking. I can't kill Kiara's father, she would hate me for that. I need to find another way…_

Before they got back to the lion den, Nuka asked his friend if she knew where Rafiki lived, telling her that knowing that could help them avoid him in the future. But the next night he used that knowledge in an overall different way. He snuck up to the large baobab tree and hid among it's branches. Little did Rafiki know that when he laid himself to sleep, the one he'd once tried to paint on the bark of his tree home would be standing there in the darkness, ready to bite at the old mandrill's throat.

* * *

**AN: Told you it would be 'Simbas pride' gone bad!**

**So Nuka and Kiara are together, but that relationship is far from a Romeo and Juliet kind of romance- he just lets his lust take control of him and will do everything to achieve his goal even on the way of murder, just like a true Outlander. The princess on the other hand is so kind she wants to give herself to Nuka out of pity. But not only that- she's also dying to do it against her father's will. **

**And if you think that the idea of Kiara falling for Nuka is quite unlikely, I recommend you check out the fanarts depicting a healthy version of Kovu's older brother. There are some really good ones at DeviantArt. My version of that neglected lion is a hardcore rebel- exactly what Kiara's looking for.**

**(Damn, that kind of makes the script sound like 'Lady and the tramp' or 'Alladin'… But worry not- it's going to be way different in the end!)**


	12. A Test of Loyalty

**Chapter 12 – A Test of Loyalty**

Nuka and Kiara were keeping everything a secret from Simba. He was still suspicious, as always, but he didn't know half of what they were up to behind his back. With the king's annoying primate advisor out of the picture, they had the nights for themselves, and they did not restrain themselves from using them as best they could.

But after some time passed, Nuka understood that his present state within Simba's Pride needed to change. He knew he should have predicted that and it was something he sincerely wanted, but when the fact stood in front of him like something he was bound to collide with, he became afraid. He had to be admitted into Simba's pride. It became highly necessary, because…

Kiara was pregnant.

Simple as that. Both of them weren't afraid of the fact of becoming parents- no, they'd planned that and wanted it before they even met. What was the real problem was the reaction of the king.

Nuka knew that the day when he would have to ask Simba for an audience would come inevitably, but what he didn't know was the result of that conversation. And that was what filled him with doubt. Simba still didn't enjoy his presence, even though Nuka couldn't think of any actual reason. When he thought about it, he considered Simba a very strange ruler in comparison to Scar. His stepfather was an autocrat, seldom even letting anyone express their thoughts for him to use them in making a decision of his own. Simba on the other hand had all sorts of weird advisors- the deceased monkey was one, then there was a meercat and a warthog – the strangest possible pair permitted to live at Pride Rock for some reason… Nuka thought about making himself a meal of them, but contrary to the mandrill, Simba would have definitely noticed their disappearance. Furthermore, the king had a weakness in letting his lionesses give him advices and question his decisions. Especially Nala, his mate, was very zealous in doing that. And that brought Nuka a little hope, because since Kiara's mother was very concerned about her daughter's happiness, she was his first protector against Simba's antipathy.

Knowing that, Nuka decided that the moment came for him to talk to the king in private. When he finally found a good opportunity to ask for that, Simba wasn't very eager, still suspecting that maybe the former Outlander was planning some sort of attack on him. But finally, encouraged by Kiara, he agreed.

Simba was walking through the area of the fire with Nuka at his side for quite some time now. At first it was very uncomfortable for him to talk to the younger lion. Nuka had something in him that filled Simba with fear- a shadow of a distant memory, something he'd profoundly hated. But he though that maybe indeed it would be a good decision to listen to Nala's advice and know his daughter's friend a little better? After all, Nuka did abandon his former pride and, apparently, all of his past along with that… Simba lowered his eyes towards the ash-covered ground from which new germs were already sprouting. Who knows, maybe sometimes what's left behind can grow better than the generation before?

-"Don't get me wrong, Nuka" – he was saying casually when he finally overcame in himself the disgust of speaking to Scar's stepson. – "It's not you personally who's the cause of my reluctance. I can see the sympathy that you have among my pride- especially my daughter and my mate."

Nuka was walking along close to him, carefully listening to every word with a beating heart.

-"It's just that… _Uh_, I still hate thinking about it. I suppose you know the consequences of your upbringing. It's not you who I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of the influence that Scar might have had on you. And the way that it might also affect Kiara."

Nuka adopted a sad expression. So the shadow of his former life was still following him, trying to ruin his happiness yet again…

-"I'm not… like my stepfather." – muttered the lion.

Simba gazed at him carefully.

-"You do look like him…" – he said after a moment of silence. – "But I don't suppose you'd be capable of the same horrible things he'd done. I just still can't think of a reason why anyone would. How anyone could be filled with so much hate and greed as to kill his own brother…"

Nuka's reaction to Simba's words was surprisingly sudden. He halted immediately, what also made the king stop and turn around to look at him. Nuka's eyes were pointed straight at him, filled with utmost shock.

-"Kill his brother…?" – the younger lion repeated with disbelief.

Simba frowned.

-"Yes. Scar killed my father Mufasa who was his older brother to assume the throne. Which is exactly why I exiled him and his pride to the Outlands! You're trying to tell me... you didn't know about that?"

Nuka's eyes were getting wider with every word.

-"No… H-he didn't tell that to us… The way he told the story was totally different…"

-"That lying bastard! How typical of him! Not one word he'd ever told to anyone had anything to do with the truth! What did he tell you? That I'm the one who attacked him for no reason at all? Is that what he told you? Did he even bother to make up a different reason about why I would ever want to exile him and half of the lionesses from my pride along with their cubs?"

Hearing Simba's angry screams, Nuka felt his world turning upside down.

_The bastard… so he's even worse than I've thought! All this time he'd been lying to us! Everything we'd ever worked for was just to help the murderer regain his position, while he's the one who was the impostor in the first place! Damn him! And what's going to happen to my family now? He's just gonna continue using them and feeding them with lies, until…_

The lion held his breath. He suddenly remembered about Scar's plan to attack the Pridelands. Now that Nuka finally knew the truth, he couldn't let that happen.

-"Simba…" – he whispered, attracting the glare of the king's blood-shot eyes. – "I need to tell you something…"

He felt the burden of the fact that what he was about to say would be the highest possible form of treason against his former pride. But he knew he needed to do that in order to save the new one.

-"Scar… has a plot. He still craves revenge for his exile and humiliation. He wants to rule the Pridelands again. He wants you and your pride dead, Simba! The Outlanders are still not strong enough, but my brother, Kovu… He has ten cubs of his own. My mother's training them to become Scar's loyal soldiers. When they grow up… they're planning to start a war!"

Simba listened carefully. When Nuka finished his distressful report, the king lowered his head to the ground. The younger lion saw him unsheathe his claws, his body shaking with fury, a low growl flowing out of his throat. A moment later, Simba pierced him with a look of pure rage.

-"And _you_… You've spent so many days in my land carelessly frolicking with my daughter, and you dare to tell that to me just now?"

With a frightened shriek, Nuka tried to jump away from the roaring king pouncing at him, but he was too slow. Soon he found himself pinned to the ground, looking straight into Simba's needle-sharp fangs.

-"I'm giving you _one_ chance, Nuka!" – screamed the furious lion. – "I didn't think it would come to this, but since I have no other choice, I suppose you know Scar and the other members of your pride better than anyone. That makes you perfectly prepared to penetrate their ranks and get to your stepfather when he doesn't suspect it. I've spared his life once, but now I see I've made a mistake- that old bastard is still a threat to my pride and also to _your_ friend and _my_ only daughter! So if you want her, Nuka, if you want to have any chance at all to gain my trust and to be admitted into my pride, you're going to have to prove it… by killing Scar."

Seeing how serious were the words of the lion who was now holding him without a chance to make a single move, Nuka gulped, feeling as cold sweat ran down his back.

-"Understand? Go to the Outlands and kill the old tyrant. Prove to me that there is _no _connection between you with him. When he's gone, his pitiful pride will fall apart. And you will be safe with us here, in the Pridelands."

Simba gave him a last demanding glare and let him go, leaving him and disappearing behind a cloud of ash. Nuka felt so miserable that it took some time before he even lifted from the ground. But when he did, he felt some sort of new energy filling his heart. Simba was right. What he demanded of him was really something Nuka had himself wanted to do for a long time.

* * *

**AN: Anger makes one loose the skill of judgement. To Simba, a brother killing a brother is a crime, but a stepson killing his stepfather is not. True, the guilt connected with both is different, but is Simba's plan going to bring any good? **


	13. Punishment

**Chapter 13 – Punishment**

The air inside the termite mound was hot and dry, as usual. As he was slowly pacing onward, he set aloft a clouds of dust and little winged insects, visible in the sunbeams that were breaking through the ceiling at various points.

The lionesses were away, looking for food. Also Kovu's cubs were nowhere to be found.

After wading through another suffocating wave of dust and flying termites, Nuka halted in front of one of the walls, under which a haggard, scrawny corpse of a lion laid in what seemed to be either the state of death or a deep coma.

Scar hasn't changed a bit. His appearance was still more like that of a skeleton wrapped in skin and black fur. The better, though Nuka, feeling that his long expected moment of revenge has finally come. It was time to end his humiliation. Scar was about to pay for everything he'd done in his damnable life.

He felt his paws shake. Lifting one of them, he observed his bared claws, which he'd intentionally sharpened earlier that morning. No, he can't hesitate- enough of the inaction. His future called for firm actions.

Emerged in his slumber, Scar did not suspect anything- especially not being hit in the face by the stunning swing of a strong, clawed paw of a lion.

Having stumbled to his side from that powerful attack, he started rolling in the thick dirt, groaning angrily, desperately trying to cope with the pain and the shock.

-"Simba sends his regards…" – an angry voice uttered towards him as Scar tried to see his executioner through the cloud of dust, coughing, fighting to catch his breath. Finally, regaining his senses, he was able to see who was it that attacked him. Before him in combat stance stood an adult male lion with dark brown fur and a large, torn, ebony mane. Only his reddish brown eyes, still so similar to his mother's, hinted the lion's identity. Scar could barely recognize him now, as he was more muscular and thoroughly healthier than ever before. But when he did, he spat at his feet with the blood from his cut lip and laughed scornfully, baring a whole set of grated, bloodied fangs.

-"_WAHAHAHA_!" – Scar's crazed chortle lifted up towards the cave's ceiling. – "Well, that's a surprise… If it isn't _Nuka_, 'the_ zealous_ one'… or maybe I should say- 'the prodigal son'! I hope you're not expecting a warm welcome, you fucking traitor… I will have you torn apart…"

-"_SHUT UP_!" – his stepson interrupted him, making him silence, revealing a small bit of the true, overwhelming, paralyzing fear which infested Scar's soul like a bunch of termites, and which he was desperately and vainly trying to hide.

Nuka's eyes were blood-shot, piercing the old lion before him with the cutting edge of merciless accusation.

-"It's _you_ who is the real traitor! I know the truth, Simba told me everything. He didn't exile us for no reason like you said he did. He did it because _you _killed his father, the true king of the Pridelands… and your own brother! All you were telling us were lies all along!"

Scar's face became as solid stone, at least on the outside.

-"My brother deserved to die, and so does Simba. It's a shame you too got fooled by him… your mind was always a weak one."

His stepfather's insolent remarks made Nuka growl viciously, exposing his fangs as a warning. But Scar kept his daring tone.

-"Tell me, boy- how much did he pay you for killing me? I can see he's been keeping you well fed… But there is also something else… isn't it?"

Nuka felt disgusted by the mocking sneer that appeared on Scar's face when he somehow sensed to actually be right.

-"_Aah_… I can see it in your eyes… Just as I thought. Oh, what a downfall for my poor nephew! Trading his dead uncle for the young and quite lively body of _his daughter_ is a very low thing, even for him…"

Scar licked his lips and laughed falsely, afterwards flinching to his infuriated stepson's roar. Nuka felt as if, once again, the old lion had full control over him- even of his thoughts. But no, Scar was wrong. He was only trying to trick him to save his life.

-"I'm doing this from my own free will! Understand?" – he approached Scar closely, trying to emphasize his anger as well as he could, enjoying the shroud of fear that could be seen upon his enemy's face. But Scar still wasn't going to give up. He still tried to mess with his mind, this time speaking with a sort of respect and admiration- something Nuka had never heard before from his mouth.

-"Why Nuka, now I see that I'd been wrong about you… It seems that for all these years I was oblivious to the fact that you are a more exact imitator of me than even Kovu! So hard I've tried to train him to be just like me… but now, when I finally have a chance to see how _you've_ developed, I'm almost positive that you've indeed surpassed your younger brother! And even though I would still never make you my heir, I must say that I'm proud of you… my son!"

Nuka could barely listen to what Scar was trying to fool him with. He was trying to gain as much time as possible, using the most drastic methods he could possibly foster. But Nuka would not let himself be deceived. No. Not this time.

-"I'M _NOT_ YOUR SON, SCAR!" – he screamed from the top of his voice.

-"_Hahaha_! That's what _you_ think! Take a look at yourself, Nuka! Look at the darkness flooding your heart! You are trying to kill me because I am a hindrance for you, but if you do, you will achieve nothing you think you _can_ achieve. I know this, because it was the same with me and _Mufasa._ If you kill me, you will only _become_ me!"

That was it. He was afraid, but he just couldn't stand his stepfather's poison. He'd wasted enough time.

-"_NO_!" – he roared, once again slapping Scar on the face as hard as he could, immediately wiping the fake sneer off of it. Now the old lion was showing his true face. Cringing on the ground with his back against the cave wall, he had no more strength to stand up and no other way of escape. Therefore, his expression became twisted with powerless despair, his emerald eyes almost begging for the mercy he wasn't going to get. As Nuka clenched his jaws around Scar's throat, closing his own eyes, all he felt were two rapid, simultaneous heartbeats, banging together in a unison rhythm. His prey acted just like any other piece of game, flailing it's limbs with every muscle tightened, desperately trying to free itself from the incoming embrace of death. Nuka did not let him go. He even remained motionless when Scar managed to smack him on the face, cutting his left eye with his claws. But he didn't feel any pain. Just the two rapid heartbeats. And then, after a few more moments, just his own rapid heartbeat.

The whole world became empty and silent. He was alone in it. Finally. No more Scar, only the one on his face. Then, for a brief moment, Nuka felt peace in his life. The peace he'd never had the luck to experience until now, when he finally took his fate info his own paws. Whatever was bad, whatever caused him pain, was now lying in front of him.

Defeated. Powerless. Dead.

He felt warm blood flowing slowly down his cheek.

And just a second later, among a misty bliss, in the middle of a world only he inhabited, something struck him with the power of lightning.

-"_Hey, uncle Nuka_!"

It was the voice of a cub calling him from behind his back. The voice of a cub- that was what destroyed his peace like a raging wildebeest stampede.

Nuka turned his head suddenly, still emerged in a kind of trance. A drop of his blood fell from the tip of his beard, falling into the puddle that was gathering underneath his feet. The puddle of his stepfather's blood.

-"Uncle Nuka, you're back!" – the childish voice joyfully called him another time. The cub had brownish fur and blue eyes. He was Kovu's youngest son and he'd grown a lot since Nuka saw him for the last time.

-"Kumi… don't come any closer…" – mumbled the petrified lion. But his nephew did not listen. Since it was dark inside the cave, he made a few steps forward, sending a powerful shiver down Nuka's spine.

-"Uncle, what's wrong with grandpa? Is he okay?" – asked the cub, straining his eyes. He saw the stunned gaze of one who used to baby-sit him. For a short moment, Nuka just stood paralyzed, totally not having a clue as to what he should do now.

_Oh crap…_

_Kumi saw it…_

_Now I gotta kill him, too._

_No! What am I thinking?_

The cub, still completely startled, observed a frown of sorrow upon his uncle's face. And then Nuka took off, running pass his nephew and out of the cave in a flash. While he was galloping breathlessly towards the Pridelands, he could still hear the air ripped with a childish shriek of horror coming from inside the termite mound.

* * *

**AN: _'He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you'_ – Friedrich Nietzsche.**


	14. Just a Dream

**Chapter 14 – Just a Dream**

A fierce storm unleashed above the Pridelands and the king was having trouble sleeping. Since his early cubhood, he'd been having nightmares about the tragic events connected with his father's death, and also now that vision haunted him, only this time adopting a somewhat different form.

There he was again, standing on the edge of the gorge, above an endless stampede of wildebeests. In front of him he saw his father's horrified face, screaming towards him in terror.

_Simba…! Help me…!_

In desperation, he stretched out his paw towards the slipping figure.

_Father…! Just a little farther…_

They were surrounded by the frightening laughter of Scar, echoing everywhere around, making Simba crazy with fear.

A horrible voice yelled from behind him.

_Gotcha! Trust me!_

The dark lion was pulling him up, away from Mufasa. It seamed as if he wanted to save him, but he was only keeping him from saving his father.

_Simbaaa…!_

The image of Mufasa sled down the edge of the wall, falling into darkness.

_NOOO!_

He heard his own scream of horror. And a following wave of anger.

_Scar…_

He turned around towards the one who was holding him. But the dark lion was not Scar.

_Nuka…?_

Yes, it was Nuka. Simba remembered the vague words he once heard from Rafiki.

_Beware of the dark-maned lion…_

But it was too late. The dark-maned lion laughed maliciously straight into his face, and then released his grip. Simba felt the terrible, frightening feeling of falling- deeper and deeper, straight towards his doom.

* * *

A bolt of lightening cut through the sky. Simba woke up with a muffled groan, panting, soaked with sweat. Everywhere around him everything was peaceful and quiet- his lionesses lulled to sleep by the melody of the intense rain. But he still felt his heart thumping, making it hard for him to breathe. He rose from the ground, deciding to go get some fresh air.

After exiting the cave he was refreshed by the cool rain pouring down on him like a silent consolation from the heavens. And then he noticed someone climbing up from the edge of Pride Rock. It was a black-maned lion, shuffling slowly from the strain of a long run, soaking wet.

-"Nuka! You're back! That's good. So tell me- are you carrying any news?"

The comer lifted his head. Streams of water were falling from his ebony mane and beard, and his face was still covered with the blood that flowed from a fresh scar on his left eye.

-"I did it. He's dead." – he uttered.

Simba saw something disturbing in Nuka's reddish eyes. They were filled with some sort of darkness. In fact, as another bolt of lightning suddenly stroke, for the first time the king of the Pridelands noticed how that young lion resembled his stepfather. His _late_ stepfather.

-"Is… everything fine? Where did you get that scar?" – the king asked with great concern.

-"And what do you think?" – Nuka exclaimed as blood was dripping from the side of his face. – "It's over, I've killed him. Are ya satisfied with me now?"

The doubts were needless. His fears were pointless. Simba looked at Nuka once again and grinned with true joy.

-"Yes, Nuka. I am. Thanks to you, my pride is finally safe. Now I know that you're worthy of my trust. C'mon! Let's get inside the cave. There's no need for standing in the rain like this."

Still smiling, Simba encouraged Nuka to follow him with a motion of his head. That was it. He'd done his job. He was now a rightful Pridelander.

As he was entering the lions' den at Pride Rock, he couldn't help to ask himself one question –

Could he finally feel happy?

* * *

He was looking at her while she slept there by his side. Enjoying. Admiring. Watching her peaceful breath, fawning at her soft, beautiful yellow fur. And most important of all- carefully eyeing her already swollen belly. His face still hurt, but that did not matter. Nothing mattered to him anymore- neither the storm outside nor anything else in the whole world.

She was his. That was enough.

Stretching and moaning silently under his embrace, Kiara woke up. Their eyes met immediately, what made her smile with joy.

-"You're back."

-"Yeah. I'm back."

Pure bliss. Peace in a world of chaos. Peace that had to be bought for a high price, but still, it was peace.

At least for a moment.

Nuka was still smiling, but Kiara's expression suddenly changed. With eyes still clouded by sleepiness, she adopted a frown of concern.

-"Where did you get that, Scar?" – she whispered.

Nuka held his breath. Did he mishear?

-"What did you say?" – he answered nervously.

His mate lifted her head from the ground, narrowing her eyes at him.

-"I said- where did you get that scar?"

Then something changed. The peaceful atmosphere vanished as if someone swept it away. Suddenly, the silence of the sleeping lions seemed alarming. The delicate rain outside- disturbing. The shadows dancing on the wall- frightening.

-"I… I…" – Nuka stuttered, but wasn't able to answer. Kiara looked at him, and her expression showed signs of true fear.

At that moment, out of nowhere, a big blue bird flew inside the cave, screaming wildly.

-"Sire… SIRE!"

His frantic call quickly made every lion in the lair raise from their slumber. Simba stood up immediately, looking extremely concerned.

-"Zazu, what's wrong?" – he demanded his messenger to answer.

The bird landed in front of him. He was scared out of his mind.

-"The Outlanders are on the attack, heading this way! It's WAR!"

The last word echoed among the walls of Pride Rock. Nuka gave his mate a look filled with deepest sorrow.

-"I'm sorry, Kiara." – he whispered, as a lone tear fell from his eye and down the scar that disfigured his face.

* * *

**AN: '_Cry- "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war_!'**

**Or rather cats of war… Zira's lost her beloved and now she's as pissed as it gets. Things did not turn out quite the way they were meant to. That's what happens when you don't listen to prophecies!  
**


	15. War

**Chapter 15 – War**

_There isn't many of them. They're outnumbered, they can't possibly be foolish enough to attack. And even if they do, they still don't stand a chance._

Simba was trying to console himself with thoughts such as these, but slowly his nervousness was taking him over. His whole pride was standing at the bank of a raging river, almost overflowing from the incessant rain. On the other side, fenced off by a natural dam arisen from big logs and other trash brought by the river that eventually blocked it's current, where the Outlanders. Their fur was stuck in mud, their eyes all blood-shot, their fangs bared.

And they were mad with rage.

The ones who lead the assault were Zira and her son, Kovu. Simba had not seen them since forever, and now their sight made him shiver. The older lioness looked like evil incarnate, the fury of losing her beloved mate twisting her appearance, making it seem almost devilish among the fierce lightning storm. Her son on the other hand looked like a bigger, stronger version of the murderer Scar returning from hell in order to take his revenge. Kovu was growling viciously, ready to attack at any second.

Simba gulped. This was the time for him to speak.

-"What do you want from us? Leave this land. It does not belong to you."

He thought his scream to be quite strong and firm, but the answering choir of angry roars totally outshouted him. When the Outlanders finally ceased expressing their rage, their leader decided to say something. But her voice did not sound like the one of a normal lioness. It was as if some kind of demon of hate took Zira's heart into possession.

-"Sssimbaaa… It would be wise for you… to shut up. You know damn well why I came here! You know who I'm looking for! You can't fool me. I can _smell _his presence…"

Simba felt the ground shaking beneath his feet. Indeed, he knew she was talking about Nuka. Turning his head slightly towards his own troops standing to attention in the pouring rain, he looked at a pair of frightened mates with sadness. In the meantime, Zira continued her discourse.

-"Give my son back to me, Simba, and I promise that it will be the last time we'll ever see each other. Your pride does not concern me. Nuka's the one I'm after… I know that you are also a parent. That should make you conscious that… insolent children ought to be punished…"

She was alternately growling and wailing painfully. She knew that Nuka was the one who killed Scar and she wanted him to pay the price for it. The fact that he was her son meant nothing anymore. Simba closed his eyes, emerged in deep meditation. It was an unbeatable trouble for him to make a decision. In search for help, he lifted his sight towards the sky, but there was nothing he could see besides the dark ocean of stormy clouds. He could have predicted this… it was also his fault, to some extent… That thought sent him to the edge of dispair. He looked towards his pride. They were strong, united and ready for battle, but their king knew that if they had a choice, they would rather just end everything before anyone gets hurt. Once again, his eyes wondered towards Nuka and Kiara. The former Outlander had done a great and demanding service for him, so handing him over to the ones who wanted to end his life would be nothing else but treachery. He'd admitted Nuka to his pride, and that was a decision he couldn't revoke. Besides, if Nuka got exiled or killed, Kiara would have hated him. And who knows- maybe the sorrow would also kill her.

So in the end, Simba had only one choice. A disastrous choice he would hate himself for until the very end of his life. Once again, he turned towards the river and his enemies standing on the other side.

-"Don't be a fool, Zira! You can see that we are more numerous than you. We can still end this here and now. Go back home! Please!"

But the vicious lion-witch just snorted at his desperate attempt of stopping her destructive hatred.

-"_You_ are the fool, Simba! You will regret the mistake you've just made in underestimating us! You've had your chance. If you don't want to give Nuka back to me… _then you will all die along with him_!"

And then the matriarch turned towards her growling army. With a lightening bolt as her background, she gave her gruesome order.

-"_ATTACK!_"

As Simba observed the incoming lionesses, lead by Kovu, crossing the dam with a militant haste, he felt as if his whole world was coming undone before his very eyes.

* * *

Nuka sat in the middle of the battlefield. He and Kiara got separated in the turmoil, and instead of fighting, he'd been trying to find her. To no avail. With distress he remembered all his courage and boldness in killing his stepfather, who was nothing more than a sickly old lion. Now, facing his perfectly trained former pridemembers, Nuka once again turned into a miserable timid cub, cringing in some hole, afraid of his mother's punishment.

* * *

The intensity of the battle was making Kiara half-conscious from terror. In the beginning, when the two lion armies clashed for the first time, she tried to hold back and stick close to Nuka, but when the vicious, well-trained Outlanders broke through the Pridelanders' ranks, the mess that resolved made her lose her orientation. For a moment she thought that Nuka was still by her side. But then something terrible flashed before her eyes- somewhere ahead of her she saw a lioness being battered to the ground, immediately becoming a victim for the fangs of her enemies. Kiara was almost sure that this lioness was her mother. Horrified, blinded by the tears in her eyes, she rushed to save her, but in the confusing tangle of fighting lions she got lost yet again. Turning her head in despair, she noticed that also Nuka was nowhere to be found. She just wished for everything to end. Taking off with a sob, she decided to run away from the battle in order to at least save her unborn cub, praying that her family would somehow survive. But something she'd been afraid of since the Outlanders attacked was made flesh right in front of her. Namely, it was someone deciding to fight her. A grown, muscular male, one that had years of training behind him, and now, infuriated by his bloodlust, becoming the monster his masters always wanted him to be. As he ran towards her, water dripping from his thick, hazel mane, the devilish blaze in his bright emerald eyes made Kiara's heart shiver.

_Kovu… No!_

He did hear her pleading groan, but it did not affect him in the least. The distant memories from an innocent cubhood have been killed inside him long ago.

* * *

Simba was struggling courageously to protect his pride. He didn't even think that the small group of Outlanders would turn out to be such a demanding opponent. Nuka was right. Zira's lions had been preparing for their senseless war for years. They took them by surprise. The lionesses from Simba's pride were good huntresses, but they weren't really warriors- one could see that at once when their higher number turned out to be a small advantage against their opponents. Today Simba saw members of his pride get killed. He'd thought that with Scar and his treacherous lionesses banished, everything would be ok. He thought that he managed to bring permanent peace to the Pridelands. Oh, what a fool he was! That thought infuriated him, sending into a berserk war craze. Almost blinded with pure lion valor, he killed one Outlander lioness. And then another one… He could not rest before all this was over, and he wanted to be the one to end it. So as he fought, he kept on searching carefully. Searching, until he found _her_.

_You evil bitch!_

He uttered the hateful words through clenched teeth, but surprisingly, she heard them. Turning around to face him, she revealed a muzzle smeared with blood, baring a crazed expression of being inebriated with the urge to kill.

_Hello, Simba… At last, it's time for you to pay… This is for you, Scar!_

Zira said that just before she leaped at him, piercing his skin with her claws. For some reason, Simba remembered his battle with Scar that had taken place years ago. He only did as much as throwing his opponent from the rocky ledge back then, but now he wasn't planning to show such mercy. This time, the evil needed to be destroyed. Zira fought fiercely, craving for the king's blood as they were both rolling in the mud. But even though she was fighting with frightening zeal, she still couldn't overcome the burden of her age. And so finally the younger Simba managed to gain the advantage over her.

* * *

He stood above Zira's wounded, dead corpse. It was over. The Outlanders lost their general. Looking at his own body, the victorious king noticed to be severely injured himself, but he didn't think about that. He was about to start searching for his mate, his daughter… anyone who might have survived the slaughter.

Little did Simba know that right behind him was Vitani, Zira's daughter, ready to put him to death for killing her mother.


	16. Humiliation

**Chapter 16 – Humiliation**

After they had run off from the Pridelands years ago, the hyenas found themselves a new home beyond it's borders. Loosing all contact with the lions, they became self-sufficient once again and have grown in numbers throughout time. Nowadays, under the rule of their matriarch, they returned to their former strength from before the devastating defeat at Pride Rock.

Shenzi was lying under the shelter of a rock wall that protected her from the pouring rain. She had not seen such a wild storm since the day of their escape from the Pridelands, and that made her recall certain things. She remembered how she ordered her clan to retreat, seeing how many of them had been killed by the lionesses lead by Simba. She remembered how hard it was for them to survive in the years to come… But luckily, that was all part of the past. Now they no longer needed anyone. They were a big, strong pack once again- a force others had to show respect. Feeling content with this conclusion, the old hyena looked around on her many underlings lying around, also trying to somehow hide from the rain.

Then the blowing wind brought towards her a well known, sweet scent that made her mouth water. Grinning and groaning joyfully, she gave her sleeping mate Banzai a slap to the top of his graying head.

-"_YOOOWWW! _What the hell was that for?" – whined the male hyena.

-"C'mere! Can ya smell that?"

-"I can't smell anything…"

-"Then smell _again_!"

Banzai lifted his nose, trying to pick up the scent carried by the wind. After a few sniffs, he found the direction from where it came. And now his mouth watered as well.

-"Blood?" – he grinned.

-"Damn right it's blood! Whole rivers of it…"

-"Whaddya think happened?"

-"I dunno. Lemme find out."

She walked out from under the rocky shelter and looked to the top of a hill, on which a scout was lying, probably asleep.

-"Hey you over there! What's goin' on to the north?"

The guard jumped up as if he got bitten by something, immediately turning to the direction in question, investigating it closely.

-"_Uh_, just a sec, your highness, 'kay? Uh, yeah… Yeah, something _is_ going on down there! Wait a minute… I think it's… Lions! Lions fightin' each other, your highness! A whole frickin' army of'em!"

Shenzi felt surprised. Positively surprised.

-"Lions? _Lions fightin' each other_?" – she chuckled. – "_Hahaha_, now that's _great_ news! Enemies fightin' other enemies is always a pretty sight. And I bet there's gonna be a nice peace'o meat there left for us…"

She turned towards her clan. Some hyenas have already felt the smell of blood themselves and they were watching their matriarch with anticipation.

-"Get up you guys! We're outa here!" – she shouted, immediately giving rise to a choir of wild laughs.

* * *

The battle eased up a bit. Nuka was wallowing around, stunned by the sorrowful feeling of being the cause of this whole disaster. Frightened, he observed the dead and dying lions that were lying around in the mud, hoping that none of them was his mate.

But eventually he also found her. Despite all the horror, Kiara's face was peaceful and calm.

She had a gnawed throat.

Nuka cried. Even though at first he wanted Kiara out of nothing but pure lust and envy that his brother had already had mates, the young Pridelander princess eventually taught him how to love. But now she was dead. Feeling his heart also dying slowly, he once again looked at her swollen belly.

And then someone's voice addressed him from behind.

-"Why, if it isn't my big brother… Hi there, Nuka, long time no see. You're looking well. Say, where did you get that scar?"

Nuka turned around to look Kovu in the eyes. He was smiling at him, mocking him maliciously.

-"Y-you've… killed Kiara... Sh-she was pregnant…"

But Kovu just growled angrily, just like Scar would have done.

-"Oh, so that was our little partridge Kiara, your _mate_? _Puh_, it's still a low price for you to pay for killing our _father_!"

-"Scar was not… our father…"

A second later, Nuka found himself pinned to the ground, crying under his brother's merciless constrict. His eyes were filled with terror as he observed the joy Kovu drew from being about to kill him.

-"Kovu, please…!" – he begged. – "You've already killed my mate and my unborn cub… but you can't kill _me_! I'm your brother!"

-"And that's exactly why I will kill you without batting an eyelash… just like Scar killed _his_ brother!"

Nuka's eyes narrowed.

-"You _know_ about that?"

-"Oh Nuka, you big dummy… everybody knows about that."

The devilish lion kept on laughing, applying more and more pressure to his brother's throat, slowly strangling him. Nuka turned his head, groaning in despair, unable to free himself. And suddenly, far behind Kovu's back, he saw something that frightened him even more.

-"K-Kovu… look behind you… _Please_, listen to me…!" – he moaned under the choking grip.

-"_Hmf! _Who do you take me for? Do you think I'm an _idiot_ to fall for something like _that_?"

But even though Nuka was close to death, he was using all his strength to make Kovu listen to him.

-"_Please_… look over there…" – he lifted his shaking paw from the mud, pointing towards the river.

Kovu snorted and turned his head with irritation. What he saw then fell upon him like a bold of lightning.

Before the battle, he left his ten cubs at the other side of the river, giving them exact instructions to stay hidden until he comes back. But now he was seeing all of them pushing across the dam, stumbling and raveling between the loose logs and branches brought by the overflowing river. This made him growl with anger.

-"_RAH_! Those little brats! They _never_ listen to what they are told!"

Then Kovu just got up from the ground, releasing Nuka, and rushed towards the dam. Grabbing the first cub that was already across in his jaws, he started carrying it back to the other side of the river, ordering the nine other little lions to follow. But the rain had been falling for a long time and the river was pressing against the dam with great energy. Nuka stood up from the ground. When Kovu was close to the middle of the dam, stumbling and tripping with the cub in his teeth, having all his other children blocking his way, a sudden loud, cracking sound ripped through the air.

Kovu turned around, directing his frightened sight towards his brother for the last time. And then the dam collapsed, wiped out by the raging current along with everything that was on it and in it's way, creating a tall wave of water and pieces of wood that flowed far away.

* * *

Nuka still stood on the battlefield, stunned, devastated, absentminded. He didn't pay attention to the lions who were lying in the mud dead. He didn't pay attention to the ones who were stretching their paws towards him, fatally wounded, groaning from the fear of approaching death. There wasn't anyone else who was standing apart from him...

And her. Her fur was stained with mud, blood of both her enemies and her own could barely be washed off even by the incessant rain. She was looking at the corpse of a lion she'd just killed after a long, tiring, ferocious duel. That lion was Simba. Zira would have been proud of her daughter, only if she wasn't already dead herself.

-"Are you gonna kill me too, Vitani?" – a faint voice asked her from behind her back. At once she turned around to look at the one who was talking to her.

-"Nuka…" – she whispered as her voice broke down. Then the lion saw his sister crying for the first time in his life. – "No, I'm not gonna kill you… I've seen enough death today."

-"My whole family is dead" – Nuka's words were passionless due to his total utter despair.

-"So is mine!" – Vitani sobbed.

She was right. Everyone was dead. The battle between the Outlanders and the Pridelanders resulted in a horrible tie.

-"What have we done wrong?" – asked the last lion standing on the battleground.

-"I… I suppose we always tried to fight evil with evil."

They looked into each other's eyes, sharing a piercing, hopeless feeling of sorrow. They were witnessing the result of their mistakes- a result to terrible to comprehend. Not having anything else they could do, Nuka and Vitani fell into each other's embrace, crying, the sound of their painful wail reaching as high as the dark sky above them.

They noticed that all of the surrounding lions lying around that weren't dead yet, also started to cry. Or more precisely, they started groaning with horror. After their desperate howl, there came a fearful, unison chuckle, surrounding them from every direction. Nuka and Vitani let go of each other for a moment to see what was going on. To their utmost shock, they observed as a whole horde of slobbering, giggling, hungry hyenas was emerging from the darkness, ready to devour them.

It was then when they knew the real meaning of the word 'humiliation'.

* * *

**AN: The end.**

**And an unhappy one indeed… I sort of thought that most of my stories had a happy end, so this time I wrote the most tragic possible turn of events.**

**There is a saying that origins in the Bible- 'he who has sown the wind, shall reap the whirlwind'. In both TLK 1 and 2. there was some piont in which a long wave of evil was ended by good- Simba decided not to kill Scar, the Outlanders decided not to fight with the Pridelanders. Those who persisted in continuing their wrongdoing, namely Scar and Zira, in the end got swallowed up by their own hate. This is what I tried to show in this story- you can't fight evil with evil. When the frustrated Nuka killed Scar, that might have been some kind of punishment for him, but neither did it really heal the neglected lion (rather making him more like his stepfather- a thing he feared the most), nor did it prevent the war from starting. Enfuriated more than ever, Zira ordered a death sentence on her own son. If Simba betrayed Nuka and gave him away to her, she'd undoubtedly killed him and left. For a time. Later, when Kovu's cubs would be old enough, she'd come back and wipe out the Pridelanders- cause, of course, a promise given to Simba is nothing compared to her former promise she gave to her deceased mate. Simba is always trying to be righteous, even though he ordered Nuka to kill Scar out of sheer wrath, and this is why he couldn't send his daughter's mate to certain death. But his diplomacy was futile with Zira, Kovu and the Outlanders' fury... When the battle started, each side felt that they are going to humiliate their opponents with a stunning victory- the Pridelanders trusting in their numbers, the Outlanders- in their training. But in the end, everyone gets humiliated for their foolish sins. As the Prince says at the end of 'Romeo and Juliet' - _all are punish'd_.  
**

**Now starts a new story- 'The Hyena Queen - Shenzis Reign'.  
**

**Nah, I'm only kidding ya. Damn, good thing this turn of events only happened in my nefarious mind! Talk about putting all of the characters to death... As I said, I got sick of happy ends. So anyway, thank you for your attention! Your support, your reviews and all of that really makes my writing enjoyable. I hope it was also enjoyable for you! Because if you wouldn't like my stories, I really wouldn't have a cause to wear off the keyboard of my laptop.  
**

**Cheers, y'all! See you in another story!  
**

**And remember- overcome evil with good.  
**


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